10 Pfennig - Abbach Portlandzementwerke

Issued by the Portland cement works at Bad Abbach on the Danube in Bavaria, this zinc notgeld piece circulated as factory scrip during the acute small-change shortages of World War I and its aftermath. Industrial firms throughout Germany issued their own tokens when the state simply could not supply enough coinage — zinc, iron, and pressed paper all pressed into service. The Abbach works, exploiting the local marl deposits that made the region a significant cement producer, had practical reason to keep small denominations moving among its workforce.