94 FEBRUARY 2016 http://www.stampandcoin.co.ukCoin update
Metal notgeld
TALKING TOKENS
Several years before German workers loaded bundles of multi-
million mark notes into suitcases when collecting their pay in the
hyper-inflation years of the early 1920s, huge difficulties with
currency had already blighted the nation.
A severe shortage of spendable coins coincided with the outbreak
of the Second World War in 1914 when a steep rise in the silver
bullion price pushed the intrinsic worth of silver denominations
to more than face value. This occurred at a time when supplies of
copper and nickel to official mints suddenly dried up as the Kaiser
and his military advisers diverted almost all metals to munitions
and armaments factories. Sensing that the coins already in their
pockets and purses would buy more next week, people began to
hoard their money, making shortages far worse and bringing fresh
food markets to a halt.
The initial response from the authorities was to issue paper
notgeld (emergency money) for use as small change. Municipal
and smaller local authorities soon joined in, some offsetting the
printing costs by permitting advertising on their notes. The huge
variety of types passing through people’s hands seems to have
triggered a collecting craze, especially when the notes began to
depict local scenery, folklore, political comment, even humour.
As in other countries, token collecting had flourished before the
war, with firms such as Lauer, Mayer and perhaps a dozen others
supplying a variety of brass and silver pieces. Around 1916 they
managed to add metal notgeld to their output, first by striking
pieces in zinc, aluminium and iron; then by coming up withdesigns that used standardised reverses that carried denominations
that could be used by several issuers. Obverses depicted coats-
of-arms, buildings or scenery that local users of the pieces would
have recognised at once. A downside of using zinc and iron for
tokens passing from hand-to-hand occurred after a few months
when many in these metals began to show signs of powdery
corrosion and rust. Nevertheless hard times soon found iron and
zinc transport tokens, gas meter tokens, even POW camp tokens
in widespread use. They all disappeared from everyday circulation
in the late-1920s as the German economy recovered and the need
for emergency money faded. Today’s collectors have identified
notgeld from more than 600 issuers across Germany. Different
denominations take the number to more than 3,600 pieces.Quick links
Page 97 Latest market prices
Page 98 Roman campgate coins
Page 102 Coins of the three kingsLondon auction house Spink recently offered a range of Celtic
coins, including a ‘stunning’ Medusa type Tincomarus coin,
from a collection formed by coin expert Geoff Cottam.
The sale boasted a range of rarities, many of which were
discovered by metal detectorists. A spokesperson for Spink
said: ‘Geoff took the time to build relationships with
detectorists and earned himself a name as a specialist in the
field. As a result many coins went from the ground into his
extensive collection...
‘Traditionally, Celtic coins have been a mysterious and
poorly understood field of numismatics. However, in recent
years there has been a massive upsurge in interest as more
and more literature now exists to cast light on this fascinating
coinage. Year by year new records are being set and the market for
Celtic coins is as healthy as it’s ever been.’
One of the highlights of the sale was a gold Quarter Stater of
the Atrebates and Regni peoples, minted under Tincomarus, (c. 20
BC-AD 10), which sold for £9,000. The ‘Medusa’ type coin shows
her face surmounted by great wings and serpents, and the King’s
abbreviated name ‘TINC’ on the other side. The auction catalogue
stated: ‘As the Celtic tribes left very little archaeological imprint
with which to understand their culture, and almost all writtendescription of them comes from other cultures, all that remains are
a few artefacts; of which this collection is a fantastic treasure trove.
It is truly a stunning insight into a people very few understand.’
Other notable lots included an ‘excessively rare’ gold Stater from
c.60-20 BC, featuring an annulate horse right, with wing motif,
wheel and sun imagery. The coin, found near Norwich, also sold
for £9,000. Another gold Stater, of the Trinovantes tribe (c.45-25
BC), in nearly extremely find condition and with ‘extensive lustre
remaining on this large flan piece’, sold for £5,500.Obverse and reverse of a German 50 pfennig notgeld struck in zinc. It has the city arms
of Neumunster on its obverse. The reverse is a stock design used by several issuersAuction signals growth in popularity of Celtic coins
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