Hagen's zinc 50 Pfennig belongs to the vast wave of German municipal notgeld produced when the imperial government requisitioned copper and nickel for war production, leaving cities to fend for themselves with whatever base metals remained available. Zinc was the default solution for dozens of Westphalian municipalities, and the resulting coins corrode aggressively in humid conditions — survivors with clean surfaces are considerably less common than raw mintage figures would suggest.
Hagen's zinc 50 Pfennig belongs to the vast wave of German municipal notgeld produced when the imperial government requisitioned copper and nickel for war production, leaving cities to fend for themselves with whatever base metals remained available. Zinc was the default solution for dozens of Westphalian municipalities, and the resulting coins corrode aggressively in humid conditions — survivors with clean surfaces are considerably less common than raw mintage figures would suggest.