10 Pfennigs - Mölke Gewerkschaft Consolidirte Wenceslaus Grube

Issued by a coal mining cooperative in Silesian Mölke, this iron token belongs to a class of company scrip — Knappschaftsgeld or Markengeld — used extensively in German mining districts to pay workers in denominations redeemable only at the company store. The Wenceslaus mine drew its name from the Bohemian patron saint of miners, common across Silesian and Czech collieries. Iron was the deliberate choice: cheap to strike, worthless to hoard, and immediately distinguishable from legal coinage.