10 Pfennigs - Crailsheim Wilh. Habermeier

Issued by Wilhelm Habermeier, a merchant or tradesman in Crailsheim, this is a piece of First World War-era German notgeld — emergency coinage produced by private firms, municipalities, and institutions when the imperial government could no longer supply sufficient small change. By 1918, copper and nickel had been requisitioned for war production for years, leaving everyday commerce severely disrupted. Iron was the default fallback material for these private issues, though it corrodes readily, which explains why uncorroded survivors are scarcer than mintage figures might suggest.