Gößnitz issued this zinc notgeld piece in 1918 as the German war economy strangled the supply of copper and nickel — the metals that would normally have circulated in denominations this size. Municipal councils across Saxe-Altenburg and neighboring states were effectively deputized by necessity, filling the vacuum left when imperial coinage vanished into hoarding and metal requisition drives. Gößnitz, a small rail junction town, was not unusual in doing this, but its issues are sparsely documented outside specialist Funck references.
Gößnitz issued this zinc notgeld piece in 1918 as the German war economy strangled the supply of copper and nickel — the metals that would normally have circulated in denominations this size. Municipal councils across Saxe-Altenburg and neighboring states were effectively deputized by necessity, filling the vacuum left when imperial coinage vanished into hoarding and metal requisition drives. Gößnitz, a small rail junction town, was not unusual in doing this, but its issues are sparsely documented outside specialist Funck references.