50 Pfennig - Strassebersbach

Strassebersbach is a tiny settlement in Alsace, and this zinc notgeld piece dates to the acute metal shortage of 1917, when the German war economy had consumed copper and nickel reserves to the point that even minor municipalities were authorized to issue their own emergency coinage. Zinc was the fallback — cheap, plentiful, and deeply unpopular with the public for its tendency to corrode and crack at the edges. The dual Menzel references suggest at least two recognized die variants exist for this type.