We gratefully acknowledge numismatist Walt Jellum who provided the above images and background information.

Norges Bank (The Bank of Norway) was sanctioned on 9 April 1816 as a lending, transfer and deposit banking institution. It was authorized to issue banknotes denominated in Speciedaler, with 1 Speciedaler = 1 Ort = 24 Skilling. These notes were backed with 1 Silver Speciedaler for every 2 Speciedaler banknote issued.

Banknotes were only redeemable in silver at the main office in Trondheim. The issue was not successful and a "silver tax" was levied on Norwegians. The Norges Bank issued share certificates, shown above, with a minimum face value of 25 Speciedaler.

By 1841 about 26,000 share certificates had been issued to shareholders based on the silver tax. The certificates are made up of four pages with an accounting of the interest and dividend payment hand written on the shares.