Straßebersbach issued this zinc notgeld piece in 1917, when the wartime metal requisitions had stripped municipalities across Germany of their copper and nickel coinage almost entirely. Small communes like this one — effectively a village-level authority — resorted to locally authorized emergency issues to keep daily transactions functional. The zinc here is typical of the material constraints, not a choice.
The Funck reference distinguishes at least two die variants for this type, catalogued separately as Men18#30410.2 and .3, suggesting more than one production run or a mid-issue die change at what would have been a very modest local striking.
Straßebersbach issued this zinc notgeld piece in 1917, when the wartime metal requisitions had stripped municipalities across Germany of their copper and nickel coinage almost entirely. Small communes like this one — effectively a village-level authority — resorted to locally authorized emergency issues to keep daily transactions functional. The zinc here is typical of the material constraints, not a choice.
The Funck reference distinguishes at least two die variants for this type, catalogued separately as Men18#30410.2 and .3, suggesting more than one production run or a mid-issue die change at what would have been a very modest local striking.