Namibian 10 mark coin

10 marks
Obverse
General information
Used by	Namibia
Value	10.00 marks
Years	1990
Measurements and composition
Mass	25.2399 g
Diameter	38 mm
Composition	silver
Appearance
Shape	round
Obverse	Coat of arms of South-West Africa, year
Reverse	Seated lion, value
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The 10 mark coin is a pattern coin that was minted for the Republic of Namibia in 1990. Being a pattern, it was never put into circulation. It is one of two pattern coins produced by Namibia that were denominated in marks, the other being a 1 mark piece. Both coins were minted during a period when Namibia planned to create its own national currency to replace the then issued South African rand.

The 10 mark coin is composed of .900 fine silver, has a mass of approximately 25.2399 grams, and measures about 38 millimeters in diameter. It has a reeded edge, and like most coins, is round in shape. Featured in the center of the obverse is the coat of arms of South-West Africa — which consists of a shield with images of the German Alte Feste fortress in Windhoek, the imperial eagle of Germany from 1873 to 1918, a Portuguese padrão, the head of a bull (Bos taurus), the head of a Karakul ram, and mining tools and diamonds, topped by a gemsbok (Oryx gazella) and supported by a kudu (Tragelaphus strepsiceros) and springbok (Antidorcas marsupialis), with a Welwitschia plant and a banner bearing the Latin text "VIRIBUS UNITIS" (English: "With united forces") below. The word "NAMIBIA" is present at the top of the coin, and the year of minting is printed at the bottom. "INDEPENDENCE" is written at the left side of the coin, starting by the date and ending near the state name, while the German word of the same meaning, "UNABHÄNGIGKEIT", is shown at the right side, beginning near the state name and ending by the year. Surrounding the contents of the obverse is a dotted border located around the rim, which is raised. A seated male lion (Panthera leo) is shown facing left in the middle of the reverse. The denomination "10 MARK" is engraved in a large semicircle below the illustration, and the words "PROBE" and "ESSAI", the respective names for patterns in the German and French languages, are engraved in small text above it at the top right side of the coin. A dotted border around the rim extends along the portion of the coin not including the semicircle containing the value.

In total, only 1000 examples of the coin were produced.

References

• Namibian dollar on the English Wikipedia
• Numismatic Guaranty Corporation – NAMIBIA 10 Mark X# E6 1990

Namibian concepts and patterns
Kalahar	2 k • 5 k • 10 k • 20 k
Patterns	Dollar: $1 • $10; Mark: 1 M • 10 M; Rand: 100 r
Miscellaneous	Erik Karlsson • Namibia Reserve Bank