Marktredwitz issued this zinc notgeld piece in 1917, when the German war economy had stripped copper and nickel from civilian coinage so thoroughly that hundreds of municipalities were left to mint their own emergency money. The Imperial government had authorized local issues specifically to prevent the hoarding paralysis that struck smaller commercial centers when official small change vanished from circulation entirely.
Marktredwitz issued this zinc notgeld piece in 1917, when the German war economy had stripped copper and nickel from civilian coinage so thoroughly that hundreds of municipalities were left to mint their own emergency money. The Imperial government had authorized local issues specifically to prevent the hoarding paralysis that struck smaller commercial centers when official small change vanished from circulation entirely.