Press releases

22 FEBRUARY: NEW COIN SERIES WITH POLAR THEME

To mark the International Polar Year, Danmarks Nationalbank launches the first coin in a new series of polar coins on 26 March 2007.

The new Polar series will comprise three coins, which will be issued in the period 2007 to 2009.

The motif of the first coin is a polar bear. The polar bear is chosen be-cause of its great importance to the Greenland culture. On the coin you will see the polar bear standing on a split ice floe. The motif is designed by the Greenland artist Niels Motzfeldt, who also designed the motif on the tower coin " Three Brothers" . The obverse of the coin carries a portrait of the Queen in profile.

The Polar coin is minted as a 10-krone coin in 1.2 million copies and will be part of the ordinary coin circulation. The Polar coin will also be issued as collector coins in fine silver and gold. The silver version will have the face value of 100 kroner, while the gold coin will have a face value of 1,000 kroner. The recommended retail prices including Danish VAT are DKK 2,500 for the gold coin and DKK 300 for the silver coin. The gold and silver coins are minted in a number not exceeding 6,000 and 50,000, respectively.

The gold coins are minted in gold originating from Greenland. Dan-marks Nationalbank has acquired the gold from the Nalunaq Gold Mine by Nanortalik in the South of Greenland. This goldmine also delivered the gold to the wedding rings of the Danish Crown Prince and Crown Princess. It is the first time that a coin is minted in gold originating from Greenland. The legend on the gold coin also shows a small polar bear, which is used as a symbol for gold originating from Greenland.

The Polar coins can be purchased from banks, coin dealers and Danmarks Nationalbank from 26 March. The coins can also be acquired from the website of the Royal Mint, www.royalmint.dk, where orders can be placed as from today. Pictures of the coin can also be downloaded from this website.

8 MARCH 2007: INTEREST RATE INCREASE

Danmarks Nationalbank's lending rate and the rate of interest on cer-tificates of deposit are raised by 0.25 per cent to 4.00 per cent. The discount rate and the interest rate on the banks' current accounts with Danmarks Nationalbank are raised by 0.25 per cent to 3.75 per cent. The increase will have effect as from 9 March 2007.

The interest rate increase is a consequence of the raising by the European Central Bank of the minimum bid rate on the main refinancing operations by 0.25 per cent to 3.75 per cent.

20 MARCH: VÆDDEREN (THE RAM) IS THE MOTIF ON THE FIRST COIN IN A NEW SHIP SERIES

On 25 April 2007, Danmarks Nationalbank issues the first coin in a new series of 20-krone coins with ships as their common theme. To mark the return of the Galathea 3 Expedition to Denmark, the first coin in the series has the surveillance vessel Vædderen (the Ram) as its motif.

Vædderen has been circumnavigating the Earth on the third Galathea Expedition since August 2006 and is expected to dock at Langelinie in the Port of Copenhagen on 25 April 2007. Galathea 3 is the largest Danish research expedition in more than 50 years and its objective is to promote Danish research.

The sculptor Øivind Nygård designed the Vædderen motif.

" Vædderen is currently a floating research centre, and this adds an extra dimension to the ship's inherent dynamism in view of its structure and flowing movement. Money also flows and is often at the hub of great activity. It was natural to take this dynamism as my point of departure for a depiction of Vædderen," says Øivind Nygård.

The Vædderen coin is issued as a 20-krone coin in an edition of 1.2 million. It is of the same size and alloy as the ordinary 20-krone coin in circulation. The obverse of the coin shows a profile of the Queen by the sculptor, Professor Mogens Møller.

The new thematic coin can be purchased from banks, Danmarks Na-tionalbank, Banking Services, and the website of the Royal Mint, www.royalmint.dk, from 25 April 2007. The next ship coin is expected to be issued in the autumn of 2007.

Pictures of the coin and statements by the sculptor Øivind Nygård can be found at the website of the Royal Mint, www.royalmint.dk.

9 MAY: TOWER COIN WITH COPENHAGEN CITY HALL TOWER AND TOWER COIN SET ISSUED ON 20 JUNE 2007

Copenhagen City Hall Tower is the motif of the tenth and final tower coin, which is issued on 20 June 2007. The motif is designed by the sculptor Lis Nogel, who also designed the motif for the first coin in the series, Aarhus City Hall Tower.

The Copenhagen City Hall Tower coin is issued as a 20-krone coin in an edition of 1.2 million. It is of the same size and alloy as the ordinary 20-krone coin in circulation. The obverse of the coin shows a profile of the Queen by the sculptor, Professor Mogens Møller.

In connection with the issue of the final tower coin, a coin set com-prising all 10 coins in the series, minted in the extra-fine BU quality, is issued. The coins in the set are uncirculated and minted with two strokes instead of one. The tower coin set is issued in an edition of maximum 30,000 at a price of DKK 495 per set, including VAT. Like the new tower coin, the coin set can be purchased from banks, Danmarks Nationalbank, Banking Services, and the website of The Royal Mint, www.kgl-moent.dk, from 20 June 2007.

The tower coins will be replaced by a ship series. The first coin in this series, with the surveillance vessel Vædderen (the Ram) of the Galathea 3 Expedition as its motif, was issued 25 April 2007. The new motifs on the thematic coins stimulate interest in coins among the general public. Read more about the thematic coins on the website of The Royal Mint.

14 MAY: KARIN BIRGITTE LUND CHOSEN TO DESIGN NEW DANISH BANKNOTE SERIES

Danmarks Nationalbank has decided that the new Danish banknote series will be based on the draft proposal by Karin Birgitte Lund that was chosen from among the eight draft proposals published in January 2007. The draft proposals from Karin Birgitte Lund and Kaspar Bonnén both had great potential, so that these two artists were asked to elaborate on their designs before Danmarks Nationalbank took its final decision on which of the two proposals was most appropriate for a new Danish banknote series. On the basis of the detailed designs, Danmarks Nationalbank has now chosen Karin Birgitte Lund's proposal.

Governor Torben Nielsen motivates the choice: " In her draft proposal, Karin Birgitte Lund shows bridges as links, not only between various parts of Denmark, but also between the past and the present. The proposal has splendid naturalist qualities, and her fine line and classical expression are well suited for the future banknotes."

All the eight draft proposals, as well as sketches for Danish coins, will be on public display at the Køge Art Museum of Sketches in the period 22 June to 9 September 2007.