2004 Norway 20-Krone BU Coin "Railroads"

• Mint: Mint of Norway
• Denomination: 20 Kroner
• Quality: Brilliant Uncirculated
• Issue limit: 9,170 pcs.
• Alloy: Base Metal
• Diameter: 27.5 mm
• Weight: 9.9 grams
• Box/Capsule: No/Blister
• Certificate: Printed Folder
• Language: Norwegian

Issued on September 1, this item contains the brilliant uncirculated version of the commemorative circulating 20-krone that celebrates the 150th anniversary of Norway's railways.

Norway's first railway was officially opened by George Stephenson - the inventor of the steam engine - in late Summer of 1854 and ran between Christiania (Oslo) and Eidsvoll, a distance of 68 kilometers. A great success, the line transported 128,000 passengers and 83,000 tons of cargo already in its first year of operation. At that time, going the same distance by horse and cart could take two days, whereas the railway made it in under four hours. Therefore, the railway was very important for the expansion of settlements and trade along the line, and truly revolutionized transportation almost 50 years before the automobile.

Designed by Ingrid Austlid Rise, the reverse shows railway lines and a line switch, while the obverse features the official portrait of king Harald V.