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5 Pfennig - Berlin Carl Mampe
| Issuer | Carl Mampe (Berlin) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1914 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | 1.0 mm |
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|---|---|
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| Obverse lettering | CARL MAMPE 5 ✿ BERLIN ✿ |
| Reverse description | Outer pearl border follows the octagonal flan, enclosing a circular inner pearl ring. Within the central field, a walking elephant is depicted in profile facing left, rendered in low relief as the principal device. The circular legend between the two pearl borders reads 'GELDERSATZ' in the upper arc and 'WELTKRIEG 1914/17' in the lower arc, each segment separated by small floral rosette ornaments, referencing the wartime monetary substitution purpose of the token. |
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| Additional information |
Carl Mampe was a Berlin spirits producer best known for his Mampe Halb und Halb liqueur, and this zinc piece is a privately issued notgeld token rather than a state coin. As war broke out in 1914, metal coinage vanished from circulation almost immediately — hoarded, melted, or simply absorbed by a public losing confidence in paper — and Berlin merchants began issuing their own small-denomination substitutes within months. Mampe's token was redeemable at his establishment, functioning as fractional change for counter transactions.
Zinc was the obvious material: cheap, available, and officially disfavored for government coinage, which kept private issuers from competing directly with the Reichsbank's turf.