Stendal issued iron notgeld coinage during the acute metal shortages of World War I, when copper and nickel had been almost entirely diverted to military production. Iron was the stopgap — cheap, abundant, and deeply unpopular with the public, who found it prone to rust in pocket and purse. The dual Menzel references suggest this type was struck with at least two distinguishable die variants, a common outcome when municipal authorities contracted local or regional producers with no standardized tooling.
Stendal issued iron notgeld coinage during the acute metal shortages of World War I, when copper and nickel had been almost entirely diverted to military production. Iron was the stopgap — cheap, abundant, and deeply unpopular with the public, who found it prone to rust in pocket and purse. The dual Menzel references suggest this type was struck with at least two distinguishable die variants, a common outcome when municipal authorities contracted local or regional producers with no standardized tooling.