The five new coins from 2025
On the occasion of H.M. King Frederik X's accession as King of Denmark, the five coins in the sequence that contain direct references to the former monarch, H.M. Queen Margrethe, now have a new design.
The coin designs was announced on 2 December 2025 and will gradually be released into circulation as older and worn coins are discarded.
20-krone coin
The 20-krone coin will be in circulation from December 2025 onwards.
On the front is a portrait of H.M. King Frederik X, created by artist Eva Hjorth, and the texts 'Frederik X' and 'Danmarks konge' (King of Denmark). The texts are separated by a heart, which is a traditional Danish mint mark. The mark was originally used to indicate which of the kingdom's mints had physically produced the coin, but more recently the heart has been used as a decorative element.
On the reverse is the royal coat of arms.
Find out more about the details of the new coin designs.
Technical specifications
Material: Aluminium bronze
Diameter: 27.0 mm
Weight: 9.3 grams
Rim: Interrupted milled
10-krone coin
The 10-krone coin will be in circulation from December 2025 onwards.
The 10-krone coin is smaller than the 20-krone coin, but has the same design, i.e. the portrait of King Frederik X on the obverse and the royal coat of arms on the reverse.
Find out more about the details of the new coin designs.
Technical specifications
Material: Aluminium bronze
Diameter: 23.35 mm
Weight: 7.0 grams
Rim: Smooth
5-krone coin
The 5-krone coin will be in circulation from December 2025 onwards.
In common with the 2- and 1-krone coins, the obverse of the 5-krone coin shows King Frederik X's monogram and the year of production (also called the year of mintage).
The reverse features the coin's value, the text 'Danmark' and a small icon consisting of four octagons connected into a shape.
Find out more about the details of the new coin designs.
Technical specifications
Material: Copper/nickel
Diameter: 28.5 mm
Weight: 9.2 grams
Rim: Milled
2-krone coin
The 2-krone coin will be in circulation from December 2025 onwards.
The obverse and reverse of the 2-krone coin are the same as the 5- and 1-krone coins: monogram and year on the obverse – coin value, the text 'Danmark' and a small icon on the reverse.
Find out more about the details of the new coin designs.
Technical specifications
Material: Copper/nickel
Diameter: 24.5 mm
Weight: 5.9 grams
Rim: Interrupted milled
1-krone coin
The 1-krone coin will be in circulation from December 2025 onwards.
The obverse and reverse of the 1-krone coin are the same as the 5- and 2-krone coins: monogram and year on the obverse – coin value, the text 'Danmark' and a small icon on the reverse.
Find out more about the details of the new coin designs.
Technical specifications
Material: Copper/nickel
Diameter: 20.25 mm
Weight: 3.6 grams
Rim: Milled
The 50-øre coin from 1989
The 50-øre coin entered circulation 3 July 1989 and was, along with the 10-krone coin, the first coins in the new coin set that entered circulation from 1989-1993.
The design of the 50-øre coin does not contain any symbols referring to the former monarch, H.M. Queen Margrethe II, and therefore the design of the coin does not change as a result of the accession.
50-øre coin
The 50-øre coin was introduced on 3 July 1989.
On the front is Christian V's crown, which has been the Danish royal crown since 1671. The royal crown is the most important symbol of the power of the monarch and the state. The year of minting is seen at the top of the coin. On the reverse side, you can see the denomination and the mint mark – a heart.
Technical specifications
Materiale: Tinbronze
Diameter: 21,5 mm
Vægt: 4,3 gram
Rand: Glat
Where can I buy the new coins?
Danmarks Nationalbank no longer produces its own coin sets. Coin and stamp dealer Nordfrim will release a commemorative coin set with the new circulation coins under licence from Danmarks Nationalbank.
Find out more about the coin set at www.nordfrim.dk.
New coins – same coin sequence
The five new coins featuring King Frederik X are the newest in the sequence of coins introduced by the coin reform in 1988, with coins first entering circulation in 1989-1993.
Coin value, size, design and materials were all changed with the new sequence of coins:
- The 10- and 5-øre coins were discontinued, and the 2-krone coin and 50-øre coin were added. From then on, the sequence of coins set has consisted of coins with denominations of 20, 10, 5, 2, and 1 kroner, and 50 øre. The 25-øre coin was originally also part of the new coin sequence, but was discontinued in 2008, and has not been legal tender since.
- The size and shape of the coins were also adjusted at that time to make them easier to distinguish from one another. For example, the 25-øre coin used to be much larger and had a hole in the centre – nowadays, the 5-, 2- and 1-krone coins have the hole. The rims of the 20- and 2-krone coins were neither smooth nor milled, but will, for the first time, be 'partially milled' to help the visually impaired to quickly identify the coins.
- The materials of the individual coins were also changed so that the sequence of coins now consisted of three coin series, each in a different material: 20 and 10 krone in aluminium/bronze, 5, 2 and 1 krone in copper/nickel, and 50 øre (and originally also 25 øre) in tin/bronze.
Although the five new King Frederik X coins have a completely new design, they still have the same values, sizes, designs and materials as the previous coins and are therefore a continuation of the existing sequence of coins.
Previous editions in the sequence of coins
The Queen Margrethe II coins have been updated several times since they first entered circulation.
Below are the latest issues of the 20-, 10-, 5-, 2- and 1-krone coins featuring Queen Margrethe II.
In addition, special editions, including commemorative and themed coins, have been issued regularly.
1-krone coin
The 1-krone coin entered circulation on 26 January 1993.
The front shows a reworking of Queen Margrethe II's monogram linked by three crowns. The reproduction of the monogram deviates from the customary depiction, which is not unusual on coins where the hole at the centre poses a particular challenge. The three-crowns design is deeply rooted in Danish coin tradition.
The reverse features ornamentation inspired by archaeological finds. The mint mark is a heart, which is the mint mark of the Royal Danish Mint in Copenhagen.
Technical specifications
Material: Copper/nickel
Diameter: 20.25 mm
Weight: 3.6 grams
Rim: Milled
2-krone coin
The 2-krone coin entered circulation on 26 January 1993.
The obverse shows Queen Margrethe II's monogram linked by three crowns, as on the 1-krone coin. Like the 1-krone coin, the reverse of the 2-krone coin features ornamentation inspired by archaeological finds.
Technical specifications
Material: Copper/nickel
Diameter: 24.5 mm
Weight: 5.9 grams
Rim: Interrupted milled
5-krone coin
The 5-krone coin entered circulation on 10 April 1990.
The obverse shows Queen Margrethe II's monogram linked by three crowns, as on the 1- and 2-krone coins. The reverse is also identical to that of the 1-krone and 2-krone coins.
Technical specifications
Material: Copper/nickel
Diameter: 28.5 mm
Weight: 9.2 grams
Rim: Milled
10-krone coin
The 10-krone coin first entered circulation on 3 July 1989, but both the front and back have since been updated several times.
The reverse of the 10-krone coin shows three lions and nine hearts framed by a circle with a crown at the top. On either side of the crown is ornamentation. The coat of arms with three crowned lions has been used by Danish kings for the past 800 years. The reverse design was changed in January 2011, but since 2013, an updated version of the original 1989 reverse design has been released.
The dominant decoration on the obverse of the 10-krone coin is a portrait of Queen Margrethe II. The portrait is changed from time to time to keep up with the times. Between 1989 and 2024, five portraits of Queen Margrethe II were used, respectively created by:
Sculptor Hanne Varming (put into circulation 1989-1993)
Medallist Jan Petersen (put into circulation in the period 1994-1999)
Sculptor and professor Mogens Møller (put into circulation 2001-2010)
Sculptor Lis Nogel (put into circulation in the period 2011-2022)
Sculptor Eva Hjorth (put into circulation 2023-2024)
Technical specifications
Material: Aluminium bronze
Diameter: 23.35 mm
Weight: 7.0 grams
Rim: Smooth
20-krone coin
The 20-krone coin first entered circulation on 10 April 1990, but both the front and back designs have since been changed several times.
The reverse of the 20-krone coin shows three lions and nine hearts framed by a circle with a crown at the top. On either side of the crown is ornamentation. The coat of arms with three crowned lions has been used by Danish kings for the past 800 years. The reverse design was changed in January 2011, but since 2013, an updated version of the original 1989 reverse design has been released.
The dominant decoration on the obverse of the 20-krone coin is a portrait of Queen Margrethe II, as is traditional on the highest values of a Danish coin set. The portrait on the obverse is changed from time to time to keep it up to date. Between 1990 and 2024, five portraits of Queen Margrethe II were used, respectively created by:
Sculptress Hanne Varming (put into circulation in the period 1990-1993)
Medallist Jan Petersen (put into circulation in the period 1994-1999)
Sculptor and professor Mogens Møller (put into circulation 2001-2010)
Sculptor Lis Nogel (put into circulation in the period 2011-2022)
Sculptor Eva Hjorth (put into circulation 2023-2024)
Technical specifications
Material: Aluminium bronze
Diameter: 27.0 mm
Weight: 9.3 grams
Rim: Interrupted milled
Older coins are still legal tender
All Danish coins issued since 1875 are legal tender if they have the same denominations as the current coin sequence (20,10, 5, 2, 1 kroner and 50 øre). This applies to regular circulation coins and special coin series such as commemorative and themed coins.
However, in practice, coins from previous coin sequences can be difficult to use as payment if the recipient does not recognise and accept them. For many, the sentimental or collector value is greater than the face value of the coins.