Set of 4 illegal Svalbard rubles. Coins from 1993.
In 1994 a dramatic situation arose on Svalbard. The Russian inhabitants of the archipelago, without warning, used special "Svalbard rubles" with the inscription "Russian Federation". The Norwegian Foreign Ministry saw this as an insult to Norwegian sovereignty. The Russian ambassador was summoned and the rubles had to be confiscated immediately...
The number of coins still in existence is unknown as most have probably been destroyed.
Please note that Norway is NOT in the EU and customs duties may apply when importing into your home country!