10 Pfennig - Frauenau Krystallglasfabrik

Frauenau's glassworks, deep in the Bavarian Forest, issued these zinc notgeld pieces during the acute coin shortages of World War I, when the Imperial government's requisitioning of copper and nickel stripped everyday commerce of small change. Factory-issued tokens like this one functioned as internal wage scrip or works-canteen currency, redeemable only within the issuing company's ecosystem — a closed loop that kept production running when workers couldn't be paid in state coin.

Zinc was the metal of last resort in this period, corroding readily in contact with sweat and moisture, which explains the scarcity of surviving examples in anything above moderate condition.