
The Dannebrog, the national flag of Denmark. Legend has it that it fell from the sky after the Battle of Lyndanisse in Estonia in 1219. It is the oldest national flag still in use.

Location of Denmark in Northern Europe. It is the southern most of the Nordic countries. The Faroe Islands and Greenland are separate constituent countries of the Kingdom of Denmark.
History
The Kingdom of Denmark has existed since at least the 10th century, making it the oldest monarchy in the world that still exists today. During the early years Danes controlled vast parts of the British Isles as part of the Viking Age. Although the Norman invasions ended Danish influence in England, the English language still has many influences from Danish.
In 1397 Denmark became the center state of the Kalmar Union, which included Norway and Sweden. Even though Sweden broke away from the union in 1523, Denmark-Norway remained a fairly powerful state controlling much of the Baltic Sea trade. From the 17th century Denmark lost a series of wars against Sweden and the aftermath of the Napoleonic Wars saw Norway ceded to Sweden in 1814.

Denmark before 1645. It would lose Gotland and Southern Skåne to Sweden in the 17th century and Schleswig-Holstein to Prussia in 1861. In 1920 North Schleswig was returned to Denmark.
The German-Danish border on the move (1848-1921)
The final blow to Danish international prestige was caused by the Second Schleswig War in 1861. Schleswig and Holstein were two duchies under the Danish realm but with a German majority. The Prussians were victorious and annexed the duchies in total, including the northern parts with a Danish majority. After World War I a plebiscite decided to return northern Schleswig (Danish: Slesvik) to Denmark. It was the only ceded German territory that the Nazis did not reclaim during World War 2. Currently there's still a small mix of Danes and Germans living on both sides of the border, but this is not causing any problems.
Denmark since World War 2
Germany occupied Denmark in 1940 as part of the Norwegian campaign in order to secure the supply of Swedish iron ore. The Danes surrendered almost instantly. The German occupiers were at first very mild, more or less maintaining all Danish authorities as long as those did not turn against them. When German demands became less tolerable in 1943, the Danish government resigned and organised the evacuation of its Jewish population towards Sweden. Denmark was liberated by Allied troops in 1945. After World War 2 Denmark joined NATO in 1949, abandoning its policy of neutrality which it had followed for more than a century. Denmark joined the EEC in 1973, but opted out of the Euro after a referendum in 2003. The Danish economy developed very well in those decades, achieving one of the highest standards of living in the world.
Currency
In the Middle Ages, adopted the Carolingian system from Central Europe, in which there were 12 Penninger in a Skilling, and 20 Skilling in a Pound. As coins were gradually debased as a way for the king's treasury to make money, King Eric of Pomerania introduced the Lubeck Mark at a rate of 16 Skilling in the early 15th century. This Mark was known as the Danish Mark (Marck Danske) from 1529. From the 17th century the Rigsdaler, based on the German Reichsthaler, became the new standard. The Rigsdaler was worth 6 Mark, equal to 28.8 grams of 0.875 silver. There was also the Krone of 8 Mark. To conclude, the the system looked like this:
1 Skilling = 4 Hvid = 12 Penninger
1 Rigsdaler = 6 Mark = 96 Skilling
1 Krone = 8 Mark = 4/3 Rigsdaler
And in Schleswig-Holstein the Rigsdaler was worth 60 Schilling Courant, each of 12 Pfennige. A Dreiling was 3 Pfennig and a Sechsling 6 Pfennig.
From 1713 there were two different Dalers: the Rigsdaler Species which was tied to silver, and the Rigsdaler Courant which was issued in banknotes. The Rigsdaler Courant was gradually devalued.
Rigsbankdaler and Rigsdaler Rigsmønt (1814-1873)
The Napoleonic Wars caused Denmark to default on its debt in 1814, which in turn caused a currency crisis. A new Rigsbankdaler was introduced worth 6 Rigsdaler Courant in banknotes or half Rigsdaler Species in silver. The Rigsbankdaler was divided in 96 Rigsbankskilling, abbreviated R.B.S. In 1854 the units were renamed to Rigsdaler and Skilling Rigsmønt, but the values did not change.
Krone (1873-date)
In 1873 Norway, Sweden and Denmark established the Scandinavian Monetary Union, with each country introducing its own mutually convertible Krone. The Danish Krone replaced the Rigsdaler at 2 Kroner per Daler. This is why the 2 Kroner coin is still nicknamed Daler today.
Before World War 1, all Scandinavian Krones were worth 18.16 Kroner per British Pound or 3.73 per US Dollar. In 1914 gold convertibility was suspended, which effectively ended the monetary union. Despite the breakup, the value of the Krones remained relatively stable and never fluctuated by large amounts.
The Krone was devalued in 1939 to 5.18 Kr/$. During the Germam occupation it was pegged to the Reichsmark at 50 Pfennig per Krone. After liberation the Krone was reformed and eventually tied to the US Dollar in the Bretton Woods system at 6.9 Kr/$, corresponding to 1.65 Krone per Deutschmark. In 1967 the Krone was devalued to 7.5 Kr/$.
The end of Bretton Woods in 1971 caused the Danish Krone to lose ground versus the stronger Deutschmark. By 1980 it had lost 50% to 3.1 Kr/DM. The Danish Central Bank intervened to tie the Krone to the Deutschmark and this tight band still holds today versus the Euro. The Danish Krone has recently been the focus of speculation because it is cheap in international context following the aggressive devaluation policy of the ECB.
Coins
Danish coins are known for its privy and mint marks.
1989-date
The current coinage is based on an overhaul that started in 1989, with coins of 25 and 50 Øre, 1, 2, 5, 10 and 20 Kroner. The 10 and 20 Kroner have frequently changing designs with varying portraits of Queen Margarethe II and the coat of arms on the reverse. Additionally a large number of circulating commemoratives have been isdued. Because of the high nominal value (20 Kroner is roughly $3) these are fairly expensive to collect.
1972-1989
The first series of Queen Margarethe II had denominations of 5, 10 and a holed 25 Øre, 1 and 5 Kroner. Coins of 10 Kroner were added in 1979.
1947-1972
King Frederik IX's reign lasted 25 years. His first coin series runs to 1960, followed by a relatively minor design update. From 1966 new 25 Øre coins were hold, going back to a tradition of pre-war coinage. It was the last time that 1 and 2 Øre coins were produced.
1940-1947
The German occupation coinage was made of pre-war designs but using cheaper metal such as aluminium and zinc. The 1 and 2 Kroner coins remained in aluminium-bronze, but with updated designs.
1924-1947
The abandoning of the gold standard in 1914 caused Denmark to use only base metals for its coinage since 1919. A new coinage with the well-known holed 1, 2, 5, 10 and 25 Øre and aluminium-bronze 1/2, 1 and 2 Kroner entered circulation from 1922. After World War 2 some types resumed production. The ones dated 1941 without mint marks were minted in London for use on the Faroer Islands, and are quite valuable.
1912-1921
The first years of Christian X's rule were turbulent due to World WarI, despite the fact that Denmark was not directly involved. It started with a series of bronze 1, 2, 5 Øre, silver 10 and 25 Øre along with silver 1 and 2 Kroner following the specifications of the Scandinavian Monetary Union. The effects of World War I drove silver out of circulation and tbe 10 and 25 Øre were continued in copper-nickel.
1905-1912
The short rule of King Frederik VIII produced unique coin designs of 1 Øre up to 25 Øre which are now a little hard to find. It was also the last time that regular gold coins were minted of 10 and 20 Kroner.
1873-1905
The first coin series of the modern Danish Krone were minted during King Christian IX's long reign. It consisted of bronze 1, 2 and 5 Øre, silver 10 and 25 Øre and 1/2, 1 and 2 Kroner and gold 10 and 20 Kroner.
1854-1873
The Rigsdaler Rigsmønt series lasted over Frederik VII's and a part of Christian IX's reign, with coin designs only changing monogram or the monarch's portrait. Coins were minted of 1/2, 1, 4 and 16 Skilling and 1/2, 1 and 2 Rigdaler.
Catalogue links:
Denmark:
https://en.numista.com/catalogue/danemark-1.html
Faroe Islands:
https://en.numista.com/catalogue/feroe-1.html
Greenland:
https://en.numista.com/catalogue/groenland-1.html
Danish West Indies:
https://en.numista.com/catalogue/antilles_danoises-1.html
Tranquebar (Danish India):
https://en.numista.com/catalogue/india-danish-tranquebar-1.html





































































