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20 Mark Carl Zeiss
| Issuer | Staatliche Münze Berlin |
|---|---|
| Year | 1988 |
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| In circulation to | 1990 |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Reverse description | A finely detailed depiction of a historical compound microscope by Carl Zeiss, dating to 1879, is rendered in high relief at the center of the field, shown in three-quarter profile with its characteristic angled monocular tube, coarse adjustment arm, rotating nosepiece, and flat stage clearly delineated. The name CARL ZEISS curves around the upper right periphery in widely spaced letters, while the birth and death years 1816-1888 arc along the left side of the coin, integrating text and image in a bold, graphic numismatic composition. |
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| Additional information |
Issued to mark the centenary of the Carl Zeiss Foundation, this coin commemorates the Jena-based optical manufacturer whose foundation structure — jointly owned by the Foundation itself rather than private shareholders — was a deliberate socialist adaptation of Ernst Abbe's original 1889 cooperative model. By 1988, Zeiss had been split between East and West since 1945, with both halves trading under the same name and locked in decades of legal dispute over trademark rights.
The .625 silver specification was standard for DDR commemoratives of this period, a deliberate reduction from finer alloys used in earlier GDR issues as hard currency reserves tightened.