Hersfeld's 1918 iron notgeld emerged from the same wartime metal shortage that stripped German municipalities of their copper and nickel coinage — both metals requisitioned for shell casings and military hardware. By late 1918, hundreds of German cities were issuing their own emergency pieces simply to keep small transactions functioning as the imperial economy collapsed around them.
Hersfeld's 1918 iron notgeld emerged from the same wartime metal shortage that stripped German municipalities of their copper and nickel coinage — both metals requisitioned for shell casings and military hardware. By late 1918, hundreds of German cities were issuing their own emergency pieces simply to keep small transactions functioning as the imperial economy collapsed around them.