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5 Pfennig - Pirmasens
| Issuer | City of Pirmasens |
|---|---|
| Year | 1917 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Mark (1914-1924) |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The large numeral '5' denoting the denomination is prominently displayed in the center of the field, enclosed within a twisted rope or cord circle. A pearl border ring frames the outer edge of the design. The circular Latin legend KLEINGELDERSATZMARKE (small change substitute token) runs along the upper periphery between the pearl border and the rope circle, while three evenly spaced six-pointed star ornaments appear in the lower arc beneath the rope circle. |
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| Reverse lettering | KLEINGELDERSATZMARKE 5 ★ ★ ★ |
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| Additional information |
Pirmasens issued this zinc notgeld piece in 1917 as German municipal authorities scrambled to plug a coin shortage caused by wartime metal requisitioning — copper and nickel had been diverted to military production, leaving small-denomination circulation effectively gutted. The city's shoe manufacturing industry, which had supplied boots to the German military throughout the war, made Pirmasens a logistical priority, and reliable small change mattered in a factory-town economy running multiple daily wage transactions.
Zinc was a compromise material, prone to oxidation and warping in circulation. Many survivors show edge corrosion precisely because the alloy was never suited to hard daily use.