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50 Pfennig - Speyer
| Issuer | City of Speyer (Notgeld) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1917 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Milled |
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|---|---|
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| Obverse lettering | KREISHAUPTSTADT ✶ SPEYER ✶ |
| Reverse description | The reverse features the large denomination numeral 50 dominating the central field, rendered in bold raised figures that fill nearly the entire face. The date 1917 is split to either side of the numeral, with 19 to the left and 17 to the right. Along the upper arc, the curved legend KRIEGSNOTGELD (war emergency money) is inscribed in capital letters. The design is framed by a beaded inner border running the full circumference. |
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| Additional information |
Speyer's zinc Notgeld emerged from the acute metal shortages of 1917, when wartime requisitioning had stripped Germany's municipal treasuries of copper and nickel alike. The Imperial government had been seizing base metals for munitions production since 1915, leaving municipal authorities scrambling to maintain small-change circulation through locally issued emergency coinage. Zinc, being harder to machine and prone to corrosion, was a poor substitute — and surviving examples frequently show the characteristic surface pitting that zinc coins of this period develop over time.
The two Funck varieties (3A and 3B) differ by die, a distinction that points to multiple production runs within the same year.