A field near Rena in eastern Norway has yielded the largest Viking coin hoard ever found in the country. Archaeologists and metal detectorists have recovered close to 3,000 silver Viking coins, setting a new benchmark in Norwegian archaeological history.
The discovery began on April 10 when two hobby detectorists, Rune Sætre and Vegard Sørlie, pulled 19 silver coins from the soil. Suspecting a larger find beneath, they stopped digging and immediately alerted archaeologists at Innlandet County Municipality.
By April 29, 2026, excavations had expanded the count to approximately 2,970 silver coins. Fragments of cut silver from jewelry were also recovered at the site.
Researchers believe the hoard was buried around 1047, during a turbulent period in Norwegian history marked by shifting power alliances, Viking raids, and foreign wealth flowing into the country. The coins were found in the plow layer of cultivated farmland, likely scattered there after centuries of agricultural activity disturbed their original container.
Norway’s record Viking coins hoard linked to a nation in transition
Professor Svein Gullbekk of the Coin Cabinet at the Cultural History Museum in Oslo examined some of the coins. He said most of these Viking coins are English and German, with smaller numbers of Danish and Norwegian pieces. The collection includes coins struck under Cnut the Great, Æthelred II, Otto III, and Harald Hardrada.
Gullbekk said the hoard spans the 980s to the 1040s, when foreign currency dominated circulation in Norway. Harald Hardrada, who ruled from 1046 to 1066, later established a national coinage system, and this hoard was deposited right at the start of that transition.
National Antiquarian Hanna Geiran said she could barely believe the news when she first heard about it. She described the find as both a national and international event, noting that few subjects capture public attention quite like the Viking Age in Norway.
Climate and Environment Minister Andreas Bjelland Eriksen called it a historic discovery and said the entire country deserves to witness it.
Detectorists who stopped digging are credited for saving the find
Archaeologist and senior adviser May-Tove Smiseth of Innlandet County Municipality called it the kind of find that comes perhaps once in a career. She praised both detectorists, saying they handled everything correctly.
Both had completed detector training offered by the county, and their prompt decision to stop and report the discovery allowed researchers to document and secure the site properly. Smiseth called it a model example of how such finds should be handled.
The site near Rena in Åmot municipality is now under guard. Authorities are urging the public to stay away while excavations continue. Under Norwegian cultural heritage law, finds of this kind receive automatic protected status.
The previous largest Viking-era coin hoard in Norway was found in 1950.
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