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50 Pfennig - Siegen

Issuer City of Siegen
Year 1918
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Thickness 1.6 mm
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Obverse description The heraldic shield of Siegen occupies the central field, depicting a enthroned bishop figure in the upper portion of the shield and three subsidiary escutcheons in the lower portion, the central one bearing a lion passant flanked by two chequered shields. The municipal arms are rendered in fine relief with a characteristic medieval heraldic style. The legend STADT SIEGEN arcs along the lower periphery of the coin, with the lettering split to either side of the shield, reading from lower left to lower right.
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Reverse description The large numeral '50' dominates the central field in bold raised relief. A circular legend reading KRIEGSGELD 1918 arcs along the upper periphery, while PFENNIG curves along the lower periphery, the two parts of the inscription separated by six-pointed star ornaments at the left and right. The overall design is stark and utilitarian, consistent with wartime Notgeld emergency coinage practice.
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Additional information

Siegen's 1918 iron notgeld issue belongs to the first major wave of municipal emergency coinage forced on German cities when the Imperial government requisitioned copper and nickel for war production, leaving local authorities to improvise with whatever base metals remained available. Iron was a poor substitute — prone to rust, difficult to strike cleanly, and widely resented by the public — but Siegen, like dozens of other Westphalian industrial towns, had little choice.

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