Wacker Chemie's Burghausen plant, established on the site of a former carbide works acquired in 1914, grew into one of the largest contiguous industrial complexes in the world by land area. Like many large German industrial employers of the early twentieth century, Wacker issued plant tokens to manage wages and canteen transactions internally — a practice that persisted well into the Weimar period partly because it gave employers some insulation against the monetary chaos outside the factory gates. Iron was the practical choice when copper and brass were either controlled or simply too valuable to sink into small-denomination scrip.
Wacker Chemie's Burghausen plant, established on the site of a former carbide works acquired in 1914, grew into one of the largest contiguous industrial complexes in the world by land area. Like many large German industrial employers of the early twentieth century, Wacker issued plant tokens to manage wages and canteen transactions internally — a practice that persisted well into the Weimar period partly because it gave employers some insulation against the monetary chaos outside the factory gates. Iron was the practical choice when copper and brass were either controlled or simply too valuable to sink into small-denomination scrip.