5 Pfennig - Rothenkirchen Porzellanfabrik Ernst Metzler

Rothenkirchen's Metzler porcelain factory issued zinc notgeld during the acute small-change shortage that gripped Germany in the early 1920s, when municipal and private entities alike were legally permitted to fill the gap left by hoarded and melted official coinage. Factory-issued pieces like this one were typically redeemable only at the company's own payroll window or company store, functioning as a closed-loop wage instrument as much as a circulating token.