Press releases

6 JUNE 2007: INTEREST RATE INCREASE

Danmarks Nationalbank's lending rate and the rate of interest on certificates of deposit are raised by 0.25 per cent to 4.25 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 4.00 per cent. The increase will have effect as from 7 June 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 4.00 per cent.

20 AUGUST 2007: NEW SHIP COIN WITH THE FRIGATE JYLLAND AS ITS MOTIF

On 10 September 2007, Danmarks Nationalbank issues a new 20-krone coin with the Frigate Jylland as its motif. This is the second coin in a series with ships as their common motif.

The coin will be presented today on the Frigate Jylland in the port of Ebeltoft. The Frigate Jylland is the world’s longest wooden ship and represents outstanding craftsmanship. It also marks the beginning of a new age, being powered by both sails and an engine – an innovation within shipbuilding at the time when it was launched. The Frigate was commissioned by the Royal Danish Navy and was involved in the Battle of Helgoland in 1864, in which it became a national symbol. Later it became the royal ship of King Christian IX. Today the Frigate Jylland is a popular tourist attraction in Ebeltoft.

The motif for the coin was designed by the sculptor Hans Pauli Olsen, who also designed the motifs for the Christiansborg Castle and Nólsoy Lighthouse tower coins and the Ugly Duckling fairy tale coin.

The Frigate Jylland coin is issued as a 20-krone coin in ordinary circulation in an edition of 1.2 million. The face of the coin shows a profile of the Queen by the sculptor, Professor Mogens Møller.

The new ship coin with the Frigate Jylland can be purchased from banks, Danmarks Nationalbank (Banking Services) and the website of The Royal Mint, www.kgl-moent.dk, from 10 September 2007. Pictures of the coin can also be found on the website of The Royal Mint. The next ship coin is expected to be issued in the spring of 2008.

6 SEPTEMBER 2007: FINAL FAIRY TALE COIN INSPIRED BY THE NIGHTINGALE

The fifth and final coin in the fairy tale series will be issued on 25 October 2007, inspired by The Nightingale. In that connection, a coin set with all five fairy tale coins will be issued.

The Nightingale coin is presented today at Hans Christian Andersen's House in Odense, which will also receive models of the five fairy tale coins.

The motif is designed by the sculptor, Professor Torben Ebbesen. Since The Nightingale is set in China, the coin shows the two Chinese characters for nightingale.

" The motif shows the nightingale perched on a blossoming cherry branch. It is both inside and outside a golden cage. The cherry branch is naturalistic, and the nightingale is one-dimensional like a Chinese paper cutting, but it comes alive when it flies in and out of another golden cage - your pocket," Torben Ebbesen explains.

The 10-krone Nightingale coin is issued in three versions: a gold coin in an edition of maximum 3,000, a silver coin in an edition of maximum 30,000 and an ordinary 10-krone coin. The prices are DKK 2,000 for the gold coin and DKK 200 for the silver coin. The ordinary 10-krone coin is minted in an edition of 1.2 million for ordinary circulation. The face of the coin shows a profile of the Queen by the sculptor, Professor Mogens Møller.

The coins in the fairy tale coin set are made in a proof edition minted with two strokes instead of one. The coin set is issued in an edition of maximum 30,000 at a price of DKK 250 per set. The coin set, and the new fairy tale coin, can be purchased from banks, Danmarks Nationalbank (Banking Services) and the website of The Royal Mint, www.kglmoent.dk, from 25 October 2007. Pictures of the coin can be downloaded from the website of The Royal Mint, which also contains a statement by Torben Ebbesen.