Schmiedeberg's 1920 zinc notgeld issue belongs to the wave of municipal emergency coinage that flooded Germany following the post-WWI metal shortages and the Allied prohibition on striking new imperial coinage. Zinc was the material of last resort — corrodes easily, strikes poorly, and was already associated with the despised wartime Ersatz coins most Germans were happy to see gone.
The Funck reference places this among the documented Kleingeldersatz issues for the Wittenberg district.
Schmiedeberg's 1920 zinc notgeld issue belongs to the wave of municipal emergency coinage that flooded Germany following the post-WWI metal shortages and the Allied prohibition on striking new imperial coinage. Zinc was the material of last resort — corrodes easily, strikes poorly, and was already associated with the despised wartime Ersatz coins most Germans were happy to see gone.
The Funck reference places this among the documented Kleingeldersatz issues for the Wittenberg district.