Triumph-Werke Aktiengesellschaft, better known for bicycles and later motorcycles, issued this notgeld token in 1918 as Germany's wartime zinc and copper shortages made official small-denomination coinage functionally unavailable. Factory-issued currency of this kind was a practical solution for paying workers when the Reichsbank could not supply adequate coin. Zinc was itself a war material under pressure — the fact that it was used here rather than iron or compressed paper reflects the brief window before even zinc became restricted.
Triumph-Werke Aktiengesellschaft, better known for bicycles and later motorcycles, issued this notgeld token in 1918 as Germany's wartime zinc and copper shortages made official small-denomination coinage functionally unavailable. Factory-issued currency of this kind was a practical solution for paying workers when the Reichsbank could not supply adequate coin. Zinc was itself a war material under pressure — the fact that it was used here rather than iron or compressed paper reflects the brief window before even zinc became restricted.