Parts of a hoard found in Tydal, Norway in 1878, dating c. 1080-1093. 2,253 silver coins were found, as well as a few other silver pieces. Most coins date to the reign of King Olaf III “the Peaceful”, as well as a few for his father King Harald III “Hardrada” and some foreign coins. [960×1102]
by Haestein_the_Naughty
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“In Græsli in Tydal, what was then Norway’s largest coin hoard was discovered in 1878. The treasure contained 2,253 medieval silver coins, some pieces of silver, and a bird figure in gilded silver, known as the *Græsli Bird*.
The find was made on the Søndre Græsli farm while potatoes were being dug up. Most of the coins were acquired by the Coin Cabinet of the University in Oslo, and a few examples are today on loan to Tydal Museum, where they have been exhibited.
In 1978, a memorial stone was erected to commemorate the discovery with the inscription:
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The coin hoard consisted mainly of Norwegian coins from the reign of King Olav Kyrre (“the Peaceful”) (1067–1093), but it also included 8 coins from the time of Harald Hardrada (1045–1066), 38 German coins, 2 Danish coins, 2 imitations of Anglo-Saxon coins, and two coins that could not be identified.
The obverse images on Olav Kyrre’s coins developed from royal portraits that Norwegian and other Scandinavian coins had borrowed from Anglo-Saxon coinage. Gradually these evolved into primitive, animal-like and almost abstract figures. On the reverse of Olav Kyrre’s coins there is always a cross, and there is also an inscription along the edge that sometimes tells who minted the coin. The find therefore consists mostly of pennings, the oldest Norwegian coin denomination.
The pin found together with the coins was a bird-shaped brooch in gilded silver in the Ringerike style. Bird-shaped brooches were mass-produced throughout Scandinavia in the late 11th century. The quality varied, but the Græsli brooch is an elegant piece of craftsmanship. It is believed that the original was made around 1085. A replica of the brooch can be purchased at the tourist office in Ã…s.”
[Myntfunnet i Græsli](https://www.pilegrimsleden.no/interessepunkter/myntfunnet-i-gressli)