Federal Republic of Germany 10 DM (1987): 750 Years of Berlin

[Bimat]

Another nice German coin added to collection, depicting another coin.

Federal Republic of Germany 10 Deutsche Mark (1987), KM# 166, 15.5 g (625/1000 Ag), 33 mm, Medal Alignment (↑↑), Proof; Mint Mark: 'J' (Hamburg), Mintage: 350,000 (Proof); 8,000,000 (UNC).

Obverse: An eagle, emblem of the German Federal Republic

Reverse: Berlin bear drawn with a building façade and Berlin wall pattern. The bear is holding the city's medieval seal.
City foundation date.

Edge Lettering: EINIGKEIT UND RECHT UND FREIHEIT(Country motto Country motto "Unity, Justice and Freedom")

Comments welcome!

Aditya

[Figleaf]

The round object is a seal, not a coin. The lettering is SECRETVM CIVITATIS BERLIN, secret of the city of Berlin. It would have been used to stamp documents written or copied by male secretaries.

The pattern on the bear holding the seal is a mass of houses. They seem to be one pattern, but the pattern is interrupted by the break. The symbolism is explained by the date: 1987. Three years before German unification. At the time, West Germany was a confident nation, dealing fairly with its dark past, slowly assuming the leadership role it has today, making openings towards Eastern Europe, arguing against isolation and confrontation and in favour of meeting and talking. The GDR was the showcase of communism, producing the best of the Comecon products in insufficient quantity to satisfy demand. Its leadership was dependent on the Soviet Union, repressive and not equipped to deal with increasing unrest.

Berlin was a city divided. The West vulnerable, isolated, with a mid-size town feel. The Eastern part was grim, suffering from mis-management and increasingly prickly. Young people were demonstrating in the streets, against all the odds. That is what the bear shows. A city split in two that wants to be whole. Knowing history, the symbolism is powerful and moving.

Peter

[Bimat]

The round object is a seal, not a coin. The lettering is SECRETVM CIVITATIS BERLIN, secret of the city of Berlin. It would have been used to stamp documents written or copied by male secretaries.

Thanks for the correction, Peter! Are those seals still available easily? I remember seeing the same seal (I took it as coin when I saw it) up for sale on eBay sometime back...

Berlin was a city divided. The West vulnerable, isolated, with a mid-size town feel. The Eastern part was grim, suffering from mis-management and increasingly prickly. Young people were demonstrating in the streets, against all the odds. That is what the bear shows. A city split in two that wants to be whole. Knowing history, the symbolism is powerful and moving.

Incredible, never thought it that way!

Aditya

[Figleaf]

Are those seals still available easily? I remember seeing the same seal (I took it as coin when I saw it) up for sale on eBay sometime back...

Many seals have survived in city archives, as long as the city wasn't conquered, burnt, plundered etc. However, they were made in very small series only, so extremely rare. Seals can be recreated from their impression on documents and you find them as tourist souvenirs, key rings and decoration.

Peter