[1] After finishing his secondary education at Hamar Cathedral School, Skaare studied history, Latin and Greek language at the University of Oslo.

in 1976 with the thesis Coins and Coinage in Viking-Age Norway, and was appointed professor in numismatics at the University of Oslo in 1985.

From 1979 to 1986 he was secretary for the Commission internationale de numismatique, and served as president of the society from 1986 to 1991.

He was a fellow of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters, where he also was a board member and served as preses.

He contributed to the research publication series Nordisk Numismatisk Årsskrift and elsewhere, and to popularization through books and newspaper columns.