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50 Pfennig - Unter-Kreuzberg Vincenz Lenz Gastwirt and Handlung
| Issuer | Vincenz Lenz Gastwirt & Handlung, Unter-Kreuzberg |
|---|---|
| Year | |
| Type | Emergency coin |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | A continuous outer pearl border frames a circular legend reading the issuer's name and location. The flat field at center bears a three-line raised inscription — GASTWIRT / & / HANDLUNG — identifying the nature of the establishment. A five-pointed star appears above the central inscription and a second star below, while small floral ornaments flank the text at mid-height. The overall design is plain and functional, consistent with private German notgeld token production of the early Weimar period. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | An outer pearl border is set inside a second inner pearl border, creating a circular annular frame within which the legend KLEINGELDERSATZMARKE curves around the upper arc. The central field is enclosed by an inner dotted circle and displays the large numeral '50' in bold raised characters, denoting the token's face value of 50 Pfennig. Below the inner circle, three five-pointed stars are evenly spaced along the lower arc between the two pearl borders, serving as decorative separators. The overall design is utilitarian, characteristic of privately issued small-change substitute tokens (Kleingeldersatzmarken) of the German inflation era. |
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| Additional information |
Notgeld tokens of this type were issued by private businesses across rural Germany during and after World War I, when small-denomination coinage effectively vanished from circulation — hoarded, melted, or simply overwhelmed by the collapsing monetary system. A Gastwirt running a Handlung (tavern with attached general trade) in a village like Unter-Kreuzberg would have issued these zinc pieces to keep local transactions moving, redeemable only within his own establishment. The zinc composition was the material of necessity, not choice.