50 Pfennig - Gardelegen

Gardelegen issued this zinc notgeld piece in 1917 as German coinage metals were systematically redirected toward the war effort — copper, nickel, and silver all requisitioned under imperial decree, leaving municipal and district authorities to improvise with whatever industrial metals remained available. Zinc was the default solution across hundreds of German localities that year, and the resulting pieces circulated out of necessity rather than any municipal ambition.

The Funck reference places this among a numbered series of Gardelegen issues, suggesting the district struck multiple denominations or variants during this period.