Denmark Margrethe II 20 Kroner

History

20 Kroner 2000, KM# 885, Denmark, Margrethe II, 60th Anniversary of Birth of Queen Margrethe II

Obverse. Photo © Gennady Kerler

Description

On 16 April 2000, the 60th birthday of HM Queen Margrethe II was marked by the issue of a commemorative coin in two versions: 20 Kroner aluminum bronze & 200 Kroner pure silver.

Margrethe II (born 16 April 1940) is the Queen of Denmark. She is also the supreme authority of the Church of Denmark and Commander-in-Chief of the Danish Defence. Born into the House of Glücksburg, a royal house with origins in Northern Germany, she was the eldest child of Frederick IX of Denmark and Ingrid of Sweden. She succeeded her father upon his death on 14 January 1972, having had become heir presumptive to her father in 1953, when a constitutional amendment allowed women to inherit the throne. On her accession, Margrethe became the first female monarch of Denmark since Margaret I, ruler of the Scandinavian kingdoms in 1375–1412 during the Kalmar Union. In 1967, she married Henri de Laborde de Monpezat, with whom she has two sons: Crown Prince Frederik (born 1968) and Prince Joachim (born 1969). She has been on the Danish throne for 45 years, becoming the second-longest-reigning Danish monarch after her ancestor Christian IV.

Engraver: Mogens Møller

Obverse	Person (king, queen, tsar etc.) Margrethe II Depicts Queen Margrethe is portrayed looking to the right, wearing a drop pearl tiara and matching brooch. The portrait is placed in front of a subtle daisy motif which is seen in the background. The stark letters around the design include the Queen’s name and title. The portrait transitioned over to circulation 10 and 20 Kroner coins with a slight difference as the brooch and background daisy was removed, this portrait remained in use until 2011 when it was again changed with a new design which included greater detail to the Queen’s physical image. The heart (♥) after 2 in the legend is the Royal Danish Mint mark (h, Copenhagen). The use of the heart is a century-old tradition, originally indicating the mint master, later the place of minting. Today, the mint mark serves no practical purpose since Danish coins are minted in only one place. MARGRETHE II ♥ DANMARKS DRONNING
Reverse	Crown, jewelry Christian V Tree, flower, plant etc. Daisy Crown divides dates above daisy flowers, said to be a favorite of Queen Margrethe and supposedly a nickname she is known by with close members of her family. The commemorative years seen at the top, denomination below. Engraver's symbol (triangle) above letter R in KRONER. Mintmaster's initials (LG, Laust Grove) above digit 2 in face value. The crown is a heraldic construction based on the crown of King Christian V. The sovereign's crown is the most important Royal and State symbol and represents national sovereignty. Since 1671 the crown of Christian V, which is kept at Rosenborg Palace, has been the Royal Danish crown. Made by Paul Kurtz in Copenhagen, 1670–1671. Gold with enamel and table-cut stones. Total weight 2080 g. Also 2 garnets and 2 sapphires, of which the largest dates back to Frederick I of Denmark. 1940 2000 LG 20 KRONER
Edge	Interrupted reeded Seven plain and seven reeded sections.