5 Aurar

The 5 aurar is a small copper-bronze coin issued by Iceland during its period as a kingdom in personal union with Denmark. The obverse shows a large numeral 5 with decorative cross-like ornaments in the corners and the legend ÍSLAND (Iceland). The reverse carries a crown above an X-shaped design, the date, and the words KONUNGDÓMUR ÍSLANDS — "Kingdom of Iceland."

An eyrir (plural aurar) was the minor unit of the Icelandic króna, with 100 aurar to one króna. The 5 aurar sat among the everyday small change of the interwar and wartime years. Its warm bronze tone, modest size, and heraldic crown make it an approachable and historically resonant piece for collectors of Scandinavian and world coinage.

Iceland gained sovereignty as the Kingdom of Iceland in 1918, sharing a monarch — Christian X — with Denmark under a personal union that lasted until the modern republic was declared in 1944. Coins of this period reflect that constitutional status through the crowned imagery and the legend KONUNGDÓMUR ÍSLANDS on the reverse.

The 5 aurar bearing this design was produced across the years 1926 to 1942, spanning the interwar decades and the early years of the Second World War. Icelandic coinage of the era was generally struck abroad, with dies and blanks tied to the Danish mint tradition that shaped the country's early modern money.

After Iceland became a republic in 1944, the royal legends were retired: later small change replaced KONUNGDÓMUR ÍSLANDS with republican wording. That change makes the crowned "Kingdom" type a self-contained series closely bound to a specific chapter of Icelandic history.

Look first at the legends. A genuine coin of this type reads ÍSLAND beside the numeral 5 on one face and KONUNGDÓMUR ÍSLANDS around the crowned design on the other. The presence of the word KONUNGDÓMUR ("kingdom") is the single most telling feature and separates it from later republican issues.

The obverse is dominated by a bold numeral 5 with small decorative cross or floral ornaments filling the corners. The reverse shows a crown above a distinctive X-form motif, with the four-digit date worked into the design. The metal is a copper-bronze alloy, so surfaces range from fresh reddish-brown to a deep chocolate or olive patina with age.

Use the date to place the coin within the 1926-1942 window. Because it is a small denomination, expect a compact planchet and light overall weight typical of minor bronze coinage of the period.

As a common small-denomination bronze coin, the 5 aurar is generally affordable, and most circulated examples trade for modest sums in the low single digits to low tens of dollars depending on grade and eye appeal. Value is driven mainly by condition, date, and originality of surface.

Well-worn pieces with heavy circulation are the most common and least costly. Higher-grade coins with sharp crown and legend detail, and especially those retaining original bronze luster, command meaningful premiums. Individual dates within the 1926-1942 run can differ in scarcity, so cross-checking the specific year against a specialist catalog is worthwhile.

Treat any figures as general ranges, not fixed prices — actual results vary with the market, grade certification, and buyer demand. Condition and unaltered patina matter far more than the coin's age alone.