There are three different national characteristics in the present coin series: the 50-øre coin bears the crown, the 1-krone, 2-krone and 5-krone coins bear the Queen’s monogram, while the 10-krone and 20-krone coins bear the portrait of the Queen. The design of the coin series is intended to ensure that the coins are easy to tell apart. Consequently, they vary in size and colour. Within each sequence the diameter and weight of the coins increase with their value. The rim of the coins also varies with each coin denomination, eg. the 50-øre and 10-krone coins have smooth rims, while the rims of the 1- and 5-krone coins are milled and the rims of the 2- and 20-krone coins have interrupted milling. Furterhmore the 1-, 2- and 5-krone coins have a hole in the middle. Use of these various characteristics makes it easy for the blind and sight-impaired to tell the coins apart.

Thematic coins
Since 2002, Danmarks Nationalbank has issued coin series with common motifs. The themes of the 20-krone coins have been towers and ships, while those of the 10-krone coins have been fairy tales and Polar Year motifs. A portrait of the Queen is depicted on the obverse of all thematic coins. The series with motifs from Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tales was issued in 2005-07 to mark the 200th anniversary of Hans Christian Andersen’s birth. In 2007-09, it was followed by a series of three coins to mark the International Polar Year. The Fairy Tale and Polar Year coins were also issued in collector’s editions in silver and gold.

Commemorative coins
Denmark has a tradition for issuing commemorative coins to mark special events in the Royal Family, e.g. accession to the throne, jubilees, weddings, silver and golden anniversaries and special birthdays. Like the ordinary 10-krone and 20-krone coins, commemorative coins have a portrait of the monarch on the obverse, often a portrait designed for the occasion. Since the Queen’s 50th birthday in 1990, the royal commemorative coins have been issued as 20-krone coins put into general circulation and a special collector’s edition in silver. Originally, the silver coin was a 200-krone coin, but the silver commemorative coin issued to mark the Queen’s 70th birthday in 2010 was a 500-krone coin. On this occasion, a commemorative gold coin was also issued, as a novelty.

Coin sets
Every year, Danmarks Nationalbank issues a coin set in two different versions. Both of these coin sets comprise the six coins in the Danish coin series, i.e. 50 øre and 1, 2, 5, 10 and 20 kroner. The coins are minted with several strokes and are thus much more clearly embossed than the ordinary coins in circulation.