A coin out of time and place
On August 18, 1957, amateur archaeologist Guy Mellgren was digging at a coastal site in Brooklin, Maine, when he found a small, corroded silver coin. The location, known as the Goddard Site, was an extensive Native American settlement on Naskeag Point, overlooking Penobscot Bay. For two decades, Mellgren believed the object was a 12th-century English penny. It was not until 1978, after the find gained wider attention, that experts correctly identified it. Norwegian numismatist Kolbjørn Skaare confirmed the coin was a Norwegian silver penny minted during the reign of King Olaf Kyrre (Olaf III) between 1067 and 1093 CE.
The Goddard Site itself dates to a later period, between 1180 and 1235 CE. The people who lived there are considered ancestors of the Penobscot Nation. The coin's minting date is hundreds of years before Christopher Columbus's voyages, placing it squarely in the Viking Age. It is the only confirmed pre-Columbian Norse artifact found in the United States. The coin's authenticity is undisputed; analysis confirmed corrosion patterns consistent with prolonged burial. The central mystery is how this single object from Viking-era Norway ended up in a Native American settlement in Maine.
Trade route token or elaborate hoax?
The Goddard Site was a significant trade hub. Archaeologists have unearthed over 30,000 artifacts from the location, showing trade connections that stretched across North America. Materials found at the site came from as far away as the eastern Great Lakes and Labrador. One theory suggests the coin traveled south from Norse settlements in Newfoundland, like L'Anse aux Meadows, through established Native American trade networks. A small perforation on the coin indicates it was likely worn as a pendant, which might have helped it survive a long journey as a valued object.
A competing theory proposes the coin is a modern hoax. The discoverer, Guy Mellgren, was an avid coin collector, and some have suggested he may have planted the artifact at the site. However, Mellgren never sought publicity for the find during his lifetime, and the specific type of Olaf Kyrre coin is quite rare, making it an unlikely choice for a hoax. To date, no other Norse artifacts have been found at the Goddard Site or anywhere else in Maine. This lack of supporting evidence leaves the Maine Penny as a solitary piece of potential history. The coin is a subject of debate, representing either a direct link to Norse explorers or an item passed along vast distances by indigenous traders.