Coin with a Heart

I had to break into a bank note at the airport on my way home from Denmark; my annoyance at having to get change that I am unlikely to use for some time turned to delight when I saw the lovely designs on the coins. This ornamentation is on the reverse side of the two Kroner coin and is apparently inspired by prehistoric finds. The coin bears hearts on both sides; these are mint marks showing the place of minting, the Royal Danish Mint. 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, as Danish coins are minted at only one place; however I think it rather nice and unusual to have coins with hearts on them! As in many countries, the coins in Denmark are divided into colour sequences; gold was used for the coins of the highest denominations, silver for the medium denominations and bronze for the lowest denominations. As you can see, this two Kroner coin is silver. The hole in the middle (along with the intermittent scoring on the edge of the coin) is to help make the coin distinguishable for blind and partially sighted people.