⁣⁢The GDR commemorative coins were struck from 1966 (10 Mark Schinkel) at a face value of 5, 10, and 20 Marks and were mostly not intended for circulation. A large portion was sold with a premium and for foreign currency to collectors in Western countries. The coins were struck in cupronickel or silver. In total, 121 different 5, 10, and 20 Mark coins were issued, three of the 5 Mark coins were issued with the same design in different years (Brandenburg Gate, Meissen, Wartburg).⁤⁣

The 1990 20 Mark coin was issued in silver and cupronickel (nickel silver). All issues were released in their standard (st, vz-st) version. There are also polished plate (PP) issues for some designs, but they are sometimes very rare.