Royal Norwegian Mint (Den Kongelige Mynt) was founded in 1686 as part of the Kongsberg Silverworks, to convert the silver extracted from the mines into coins.
Before being taken over by Norges Bank (the Central Bank of Norway) in 1962, the Mint had been administered by several different bodies, including the central authorities in Copenhagen and the Ministry of Finance.
However, the connection with the Silverworks remained intact until the silver mines were closed down in 1957. On January 1, 2001 the mint was incorporated, with the Central Bank of Norway as their sole owner and shareholder.
