Christian X 10 Øre

This 10 Øre coin from Christian X's reign survived two world wars without a design change, a rarity for currency that saw daily use in occupied Denmark.

That consistency came from the Royal Danish Mint in Copenhagen, which stuck to a simple bronze composition—typically 95% copper and 5% tin or zinc—avoiding the fads of other nations. The obverse shows the king's profile, stern and unadorned, while the reverse bears the three lions of the Danish coat of arms. No fancy alloys or hidden messages; it was straightforward money for bread and beer.

We don't know the exact mintage figures for every year, as records from that era are spotty. What I can say is that variants exist due to wartime shortages, like slightly varied edge designs.

Plenty of these turn up in attics, mistaken for modern junk.