Why a Syrian coin once fooled Norwegian vending machines into accepting it as currency

Cultures · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: The Norwegian krone is a G10 currency with a complex history, from gold standards to floating exchange rates. Yet, its most peculiar chapter involves a physical vulnerability: the ten Syrian pound coin, which shares such similar dimensions with the 20-kroner piece that it once successfully tricked automated machines across Norway.

The Norwegian krone, introduced in 1875 to replace the speciedaler, has evolved from a gold-backed currency within the Scandinavian Monetary Union into a modern, floating asset. Its value is famously sensitive to global oil prices and interest rates, reflecting Norway's position as a major energy exporter. Despite its status as a G10 currency—one of the most traded in the world—the krone has faced recent, puzzling depreciation that defies simple economic explanations, even as it remains overvalued by metrics like the Big Mac Index.

The currency's physical evolution is equally storied. Once subdivided into 100 øre, the smallest denominations have been systematically retired, with the 50-øre coin finally withdrawn in 2012. Today, only coins of 1, 5, 10, and 20 kroner remain legal tender. These coins are more than mere metal; the 10 and 20 kroner pieces bear the effigy of the reigning monarch, King Harald, and his motto, 'Alt for Norge', is inscribed on the 10-kroner coin.

Perhaps the most bizarre incident in the krone's history involves the ten Syrian pound coin. Because its weight and size are nearly identical to the 20-kroner coin, it became a 'slug' used to defraud vending and arcade machines. The discrepancy in value was massive—in 2017, the Syrian coin was worth only a fraction of the Norwegian one. The issue became so prevalent that the Norwegian postal service, Posten Norge, was forced to disable some of its cash-to-coin machines in 2006, and at least one individual faced legal consequences for exploiting this mechanical blind spot.

Beyond its technical quirks, the krone remains central to Norwegian life, even influencing cross-border shopping habits. Norwegians frequently travel to neighboring countries to purchase goods like alcohol and tobacco, which are heavily taxed domestically. This practice, while common, highlights the krone's role not just as a global financial instrument, but as a daily tool for navigating the high costs of living in the Kingdom of Norway.

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