The central part of the coin core shows the relief of the Republic of Croatia, crossed by slightly curved horizontal and vertical lines, symbolizing parallels and meridians of the planet Earth. This image represents the Republic of Croatia as an independent state on the globe. Two dates: "15. 1. 1992. - 15. 1. 2002." are positioned centrally along the lower edge. They are followed by the inscription "10th Anniversary of International Recognition of the Republic of Croatia", which stretches from the left to the right, closing the circle on the coin. In the brass centre, in the middle, on the right side of a map of the Republic of Croatia, it is written the signature of engraver (DM).

The central part of the coin's core carries the designation of the nominal value 25. Within the numeral outlines, the figure of a pine marten running towards the right is shown; the marten's body is integrated with the numeral denoting the nominal value. In the bottom, central part of the coin's ring the coat of arms of the Republic of Croatia is impressed. A blooming laurel branch is placed in a semicircle on the left to the coat of arms, while a common oak branch with fruits is on the right. The top part of the ring carries the semicircular inscription The Republic of Croatia.

The word "kuna" means "marten" in Croatian since it is based on the use of marten pelts as units of value in medieval trading.

The martens are slender, agile animals, adapted to living in taigas, and are found in coniferous and northern deciduous forests across the Northern Hemisphere. They have bushy tails, and large paws with partially retractible claws. The fur varies from yellowish to dark brown, depending on the species, and, in many cases, is valued by fur trappers.

The coat of arms of the Republic of Croatia consists of one main shield and five smaller shields which form a crown over the main shield. The main coat of arms is a checkerboard (chequy) that consists of 13 red and 12 silver (white) fields. It's also informally known in Croatian as šahovnica ("chessboard", from šah, "chess"). The five smaller shields represent five different historical regions within Croatia.