German Third Reich 10 Reichspfennig Coins (1941–1944) – WWII Zinc Coinage x8.

German Third Reich 10 Reichspfennig Coins (1941–1944) – WWII Zinc Coinage

This group of eight original German 10 Reichspfennig coins, dated 1941 to 1944, represents the everyday currency used in Germany during the height of the Second World War.

By this stage of the war, strategic metals such as copper and nickel were urgently needed for armaments. As a result, small-denomination coins like these were struck in zinc, a material that was cheap, readily available, and never intended to last. This is why surviving examples typically show darkening, surface wear, and corrosion – all visible signs of genuine wartime use rather than damage.

The design reflects the official imagery of the period:

• A large “10” with oak leaves on the obverse, continuing long-standing German symbolic traditions
• The imperial eagle with wreath and swastika on the reverse, surrounded by the inscription “Deutsches Reich”

These coins would have passed through countless hands – used to buy bread, newspapers, tram tickets, or basic household items – making them tangible remnants of daily life inside wartime Germany rather than ceremonial or presentation pieces.