25 Pfennig - Epe Baumwollspinnerei Germania

Baumwollspinnerei Germania was a cotton spinning mill in Epe, Westphalia, one of dozens of German textile firms that issued their own iron emergency coinage — Notgeld — during and after World War I when small-denomination coins disappeared from circulation almost entirely. Hoarding, metal shortages, and wartime requisitioning drained pfennig coinage from everyday commerce, forcing private employers to fill the gap for workers who needed change for canteen purchases and local transactions.

Iron was the material of necessity, not choice. The Menzel reference numbers suggest at least minor variety distinctions exist within this type.