Press releases

The second coin in the series of three with Polar motifs is issued on 26 February and is inspired by the Sirius dog sledge patrol. The Polar coins are issued to mark the International Polar Year (IPY) 2007-2009.

The coin is designed by the sculptor Margrete Sørensen, who has been inspired by Greenland, the Sirius Patrol and the 'Canis Major' constellation with Sirius as its brightest star. The face of the coin shows a profile of the Queen.

Like the first Polar coin, which was issued in March 2007 and featured a polar bear, the new coin will be minted in three different versions: a gold coin in Greenlandic gold, a silver coin and an ordinary 10-krone coin. This morning His Royal Highness Crown Prince Frederik, who is the Danish patron of the International Polar Year, visited The Royal Mint and struck the first gold coin.

The gold and silver coins will have denominations of 1,000 and 100 kroner, respectively. The gold coin will be sold at a recommended retail price of DKK 2,500 and will be issued in an edition of maximum 5,000. The silver coin will be sold at a recommended retail price of DKK 300 and will be issued in an edition of maximum 35,000. The ordinary 10-krone coin will be issued in an edition of 1.2 million to be distributed via banks and used as ordinary coins in circulation.

The Sirius coins can be purchased from banks, coin dealers and Danmarks Nationalbank (Banking Services) from 26 February. From 19 February they can also be ordered via The Royal Mint's website, www.royalmint.dk, for delivery on the date of issue. A statement by Margrete Sørensen, pictures of the coin and photos from today's visit by the Crown Prince to The Royal Mint can also be found at the website.