Medals

The Royal Danish Mint manufactures 3-5,000 medals per year for both public and private customers. A medallist is mainly a craftsman, and the various types of medals are usually made in small quantities. However, a few medals are manufactured in large numbers, e.g. the Home Guard's medal that is awarded to mark anniversaries.


Medals for the use of Danish universities - University of Copenhagen (left) and University of Aarhus (right).

Silver or gold
Medals are often made of silver or gold and are therefore more expensive to manufacture than ordinary coins. Gold is a difficult material to work with, and consequently it takes longer to manufacture a gold medal than a silver medal.

Royal medals of merit and reward
The Royal Danish Mint has an annual production of royal medals of merit and reward bearing a portrait of Queen Margrethe (the present sovereign). One of these is the "Ingenio et Arti" gold medal from 1841. Among those who have received this medal over the years are the artist Anna Ancher, the writer Karen Blixen, the artist Bjørn Nørgaard and the ballet dancer Kirsten Simone, and most recently the actor Ghita Nørby.

Medal from 1769 still in production
Many of the medals of the Royal Danish Mint have been manufactured for many years. Some of the dies are so old that extra care is required to stamp the medal. Medals are stamped on a large and small friction press from 1923 - where the number of strokes is manually controlled - and on a modern hydraulic press. The oldest medal still in production is the Royal Danish Agricultural Society's silver medal from 1769. Other new medals have been introduced over the years, e.g. Queen Ingrid's commemorative medal from 2001, of which 450 were minted and awarded to people who had worked for the late Queen.

Medals are not always round
Medals vary considerably in shape and appearance. Some are very detailed, e.g. the large prize medal in silver from the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts. In most cases the round shape is maintained. An exception is the prize medal from 1998 from the Technical University of Denmark, which is a pentagon.


Medals for any occasion
The Royal Danish Mint manufactures medals to order for any occasion, e.g. when Denmark won the European Championship (soccer) in 1992, and when the Øresund Bridge between Denmark and Sweden was opened. The Royal Danish Mint also accepts commissions from abroad. To order medals, contact the Royal Danish Mint.