Hof an der Saale issued this zinc notgeld piece in 1918 as the imperial German economy buckled under wartime metal requisitions. Copper and nickel had been systematically pulled from circulation for munitions production since 1915, forcing hundreds of municipalities to issue their own emergency coinage. Zinc, too marginal for shell casings, became the default substitute. Hof's issue is catalogued under two reference systems with the ".2" suffix indicating a die or edge variety distinct from the primary type — a distinction that matters more to completists than to the Bavarian shopkeeper who spent it on bread.
Hof an der Saale issued this zinc notgeld piece in 1918 as the imperial German economy buckled under wartime metal requisitions. Copper and nickel had been systematically pulled from circulation for munitions production since 1915, forcing hundreds of municipalities to issue their own emergency coinage. Zinc, too marginal for shell casings, became the default substitute. Hof's issue is catalogued under two reference systems with the ".2" suffix indicating a die or edge variety distinct from the primary type — a distinction that matters more to completists than to the Bavarian shopkeeper who spent it on bread.