Obverse: depicts the federal eagle – the coat of arms of the Federal Republic of Germany. The inscription reads BUNDESREPUBLIK DEUTSCHLAND, followed by the year 1989, the denomination 10 DEUTSCHE MARK, and the mintmark G for Karlsruhe. The coin was designed by German artist Reinhart Heinsdorff.
Reverse: features the coats of arms of the 11 federal states, symbolically connected with cords forming the number 40 – representing the 40th anniversary of the German Federal Republic. Heraldry includes: the horse of Lower Saxony, river, horse and rose of North Rhine-Westphalia, cross, wheel and lion of Rhineland-Palatinate, key of Bremen, lions and nettle leaf of Schleswig-Holstein, three lions of Baden-Württemberg, Bavarian lozenges, Berlin’s bear, Saarland’s complex heraldry, Hamburg’s castle, and Hesse’s lion.
About the coin: this commemorative 10-mark silver coin was issued in 1989 in Germany to mark the 40th anniversary of the Federal Republic. Composition: .625 silver, weight 15.5 g, diameter 32.5 mm. It contains 9.69 g of pure silver. Although not intended for circulation, this coin is a symbolic tribute to the founding and values of modern Germany.