The Denmark 20 Kroner Frederik VIII Gold Coins are among the most visually appealing, scarce and highly sought-after of the pre-1933 European gold coins.  To give you a sense of their relative rarity, only 1.175 million Denmark 20 Kroner Frederik VIII gold coins and only 3.668 million Denmark 20 Kroner Christian X gold coins were minted in just 10 years of total coin production from 1908-1917. By comparison, single year mintages of British Sovereigns frequently topped 30 million pieces.

Issued from the 1500’s, kroner is Danish for ‘crown’ — a reference to its production at the king’s mint. The Denmark 20 Kroner Frederik VIII gold coins became the fixed standard of value and primary monetary instrument in Denmark, Sweden and Norway under the Scandinavian Coin Union in 1875. The Coin Union was instituted as a reaction to the recurring monetary crises caused by the undisciplined issuance of paper money. One such crisis led to the public burning of bank notes in 1728. Another in 1814 pushed the country toward an inflationary financial collapse and public rioting. It provided the region with fixed exchange rates and stability until it was abandoned at the onset of World War I.  Frederik VIII acceded the throne at 63 years of age and was succeeded just six years later by his son, Christian X.