Metadata
In its publication Historical Statistics, Statistics Norway publishes average exchange rates data for several major currencies, on the basis of data from the Oslo Stock Exchange. Exchange rates for some of these currencies, such as the pound sterling, are available as far back as 1819.
In the archives of Norges Bank there are copies of records received from the Oslo Stock Exchange containing exchange rates for pound sterling since 1819. These journals - in which sterling was designated "London' - are hand-written, and until 1906 were quoted twice a week. From 1 January 1877, instead of being quoted in "speciedaler" and "skilling" the exchange rates were quoted in "kroner" and "øre". At the time of the transition to kroner as a monetary unit, 1 "speciedaler" equalled 120 "skilling", which equalled 4 kroner.
We have used this material to estimate the annual average rate of exchange for sterling against NOK. Equivalent rates for DEM, FRF and SEK were then estimated for the period back to 1819, using the Stock Exchange records and exchange rate tables worked out by Sveriges Riksbank during the inter-war years. Only exchange rate data dating back to 1859 is available for USD.
For the years 1949 - 1990 DEM is regarding to the earlier Vest-Germany. In 1923 the monetary policy system in Germany was changed. The figures in parenthesis according to SEK and GBP are interpolated, because of missing information. SEK/GBP is used as conversion factor in the estimation of the other exchange rates (except for GBP which is estimated directly). Norway joined The Scandinavian Monetary Union in 1875 - which existed until 1914. In 1960 FRF was divided by 100.
Sorces: Statistics Norway, Oslo Stock Exchange and Bank of Sweden.