COIN LEFT ON AN ICELANDIC GLACIER IN 1794 FOUND 232 YEARS LATER
A copper coin lay on a stone cairn built by naturalist Sveinn Pálsson during an expedition to Öræfajökull, a glaciated volcano in Iceland. This year, a hiker stumbled upon it by chance. The small object has brought renewed attention to the pioneering journey of a man who understood more than two centuries ago how glaciers move.
An unusual historical relic has been discovered in Iceland. A group of hikers found an old copper coin in the Öræfi region, left there in 1794 by Icelandic physician, naturalist and glaciology pioneer Sveinn Pálsson. The coin lay beside a stone cairn that Pálsson and his companions had built during an expedition to Öræfajökull, a glaciated volcano. After more than two centuries, a tangible trace of one of the significant journeys in the history of Icelandic scientific exploration has resurfaced.
The discovery was reported by Arna Harðardóttir, who ventured into the Kvísker area of southeastern Iceland with other hikers during the summer. Near the stone cairn, she noticed a perfectly round object. At first, she thought it was a discarded piece of plastic. Only later did it emerge that she had found a coin more than two centuries old.
The National Museum of Iceland confirmed that the object is a skildingur, a copper coin minted in 1771. Historical records indicate that Pálsson himself left it at the site. The find was subsequently added to the museum’s collections.
A coin marking the route to the glacier
Pálsson did not leave the coin on the cairn by chance. In his travel journal from 1794, he described how the group built a stone cairn on a hill and placed a Danish copper coin on top. It was intended as a landmark for future travellers who might wish to follow in their footsteps and locate the point from which they had begun climbing onto the glacier.
What began as a simple trail marker eventually became an unintended time capsule. The coin remained in place while the landscape, the conditions for climbing and our understanding of glaciers all changed. Only now, 232 years later, has it once again come into contact with people exploring the same region.
From Sveinn Pálsson’s journal, 1794
“On the aforementioned hill, we built a stone cairn and placed a Danish copper coin on top, so that those who might wish to follow in our footsteps could find the place from which we climbed onto the glacier.”
An expedition into the unknown world of ice
In August 1794, Sveinn Pálsson and two companions set out from the Kvísker area towards the glaciers on the eastern slopes of Öræfajökull. According to the historical account, after approximately three hours they reached the edge of the southern glacier, Kvískerjajökull. They rested on a small hill and noticed an important detail: the glacier had retreated from an older moraine, evidence of its former extent.
On 11 August, Pálsson became the first known person to reach the summit plateau of Öræfajökull. The stone cairn and coin were placed on a hill associated with this journey. This was no hiking trip in the modern sense. The explorers were travelling through an environment that science of the time understood only poorly, and their journey brought both physical challenges and new insights into Iceland’s landscape.
It is important, however, to distinguish between reaching the summit plateau of Öræfajökull and climbing Iceland’s highest peak itself. That peak is Hvannadalshnúkur, which rises to approximately 2,110 metres. The first documented ascent of this particular summit took place only in 1813. Nevertheless, Pálsson’s 1794 expedition remains a significant milestone in the exploration of the glaciated volcano and its surroundings.
The naturalist who understood how glaciers move
Sveinn Pálsson (1762–1840) was one of the important pioneers of Icelandic scientific research. Alongside medicine, he studied geology and geography and observed glaciers. His insights were ahead of their time.
During his expeditions, he realised that glaciers were not motionless masses of ice. He understood them as bodies that move slowly under the influence of gravity and sought to explain how glacial tongues form and how glaciers change in extent. He also observed layers of volcanic ash in the ice and used them to interpret the geological history of the landscape.
From Sveinn Pálsson’s journal, 1794
“Could this perhaps be evidence that ice is, by its very nature, to some extent fluid without melting, much like certain types of resin?”
His journey to Öræfajökull was therefore more than a mountain expedition. It was field research in which observations of nature were transformed into scientific knowledge. This is also why the rediscovered coin means more than the age of the metal itself: it connects a specific place with a man who helped shape the early understanding of Iceland’s glaciers.
Historic Coin in Iceland: A Small Object That Survived 232 Years
The story of this historic coin in Iceland is remarkable not only because of its age, but also because of how it all began. Pálsson and his companions placed it on a stone cairn to mark the point from which they continued towards the glacier. They could not have imagined that their simple marker would one day become a historical artefact, identifiable through a specific entry in a journal.
For Arna Harðardóttir, it was initially just an object lying on the ground during a hike. Only after its origins were verified did it become clear that it was not a coin dropped by a recent visitor, but a remnant of an expedition dating back to the late eighteenth century.
The find is now held by the National Museum of Iceland. Its story is also a reminder that the history of Iceland’s exploration is not made up solely of major expeditions and famous names. Sometimes a small copper object, placed on a stone in the hope of helping future travellers find their way, can bring that history vividly to life.
About the Author
Iceland has fascinated me for many years. Over the course of numerous journeys across the island, I have driven tens of thousands of kilometers, experienced storms that changed travel plans within minutes, and witnessed days when choosing the right route meant discovering places that most visitors never see. I documented many of these experiences in my documentary film Island in the North.
Through this website, I share practical travel advice, up-to-date information, and firsthand experiences from the field to help others explore Iceland more safely and gain a deeper understanding of its unique landscapes and ever-changing nature.
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