10 Pfennig - Rositz Braunkohlenwerke A.G.

Rositz, in the lignite-rich Altenburg district of Thuringia, was one of the most productive brown coal mining regions in central Germany during the early twentieth century. The Rositzer Braunkohlenwerke issued this zinc token to pay workers in company scrip — a practice common in isolated industrial communities where the company controlled both the mine and the local retail infrastructure, ensuring wages cycled back through company-owned stores.

Zinc was the practical choice during wartime metal restrictions, particularly the World War I era when copper and nickel were reserved for military procurement.