The 10-krone coin was issued in 1989 together with the 50-øre coin as the first coins in the current series. Since then, the motif has been redesigned several times. Since 2011, a portrait of the Queen designed by the sculptor Lis Nogel has been used, and the reverse has been designed by Ronny Andersen, Royal Herald Painter. The 10-krone coin with the modified obverse and reverse design was put into circulation in January 2011.
Obverse
The obverse depicts a portrait of the Queen, in keeping with tradition for the highest denominations in a Danish coin series. The portrait is the work of the Sculptress, Lis Nogel, and was used on the commemorative issued to mark the Queen´s 70th birthday. Between "Margrethe II" and "Danmarks Dronning" is a small heart, called a mint mark. The mint mark is a heart indicating the issuing athorithy, The Royal Danish Mint in Copenhagen. The year of minting is shown at the bottom of the coin.
Reverse
From 2013 onwards the motives on the reverse of the 10-krone coin have been given a new look based on the original design from 1989. The reverse shows three lions and nine hearts surrounded by a circle with a crown at the top of the circle. Around the circle is shown an ornamentation. The original reverse which was circulated from 1989-2002 was made by Johan Alkjær whereas the new opdated version is made by Nationalbankens' own designteam.
Previous versions
The portrait is changed from time to time to ensure a contemporary portrait which is as close a likeness as possible. Three different portraits of the Queen have previously been used in the present coin series.
The sculptress Hanne Varming (used in 1989 - 1993)
The medallist Jan Petersen (used in 1994 - 1999)
The sculptor, Professor Mogens Møller (used 2001 - 2010)
Technical specifications
Alloy: Aluminium bronze
Diameter: 23.35 mm
Weight: 7.0 grams
Rim: Smooth