The central part carries an image of a model of an ancient Croatian ship, "falkuša", dating from the 11th and 12th century. There are many lines in a ring that symbolise sea surface. Within the ring, in its lower semi-circle, there is a succession of horizontal lines, symbolizing the sea surface. The inscription "EXPO-LISABON 1998" is placed in the upper semi-circle of the ring. On the left side of a brass centre, a signature of an engraver (DM) is written.

A falkusa (Croatian: falkuša) is a traditional fishing boat used by fishermen from the town of Komiža on the Adriatic island of Vis, Croatia. Falkuša is a subtype of gajeta, a traditional Dalmatian fishing sailboat, and is sometimes called gajeta falkuša. Its design was adapted to the specific needs of Komiža fishermen, who went to long fishing expeditions in the open seas, a unique practice in the Adriatic and Mediterranean.

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.