Ellwangen's 1918 emergency coinage — Kriegsgeld struck as the imperial German economy buckled under four years of war — was issued by the local administrative body when copper and nickel had long since been commandeered for military use. Iron was the material of last resort, and pieces that circulated heavily are almost invariably pitted from oxidation, making uncorroded survivors considerably harder to find than mintage figures alone would suggest.
Ellwangen's 1918 emergency coinage — Kriegsgeld struck as the imperial German economy buckled under four years of war — was issued by the local administrative body when copper and nickel had long since been commandeered for military use. Iron was the material of last resort, and pieces that circulated heavily are almost invariably pitted from oxidation, making uncorroded survivors considerably harder to find than mintage figures alone would suggest.