War coins

During the war, the priorities, the value and availability of metals change. Those of them that are used for the manufacture of shells (copper) and special steels (nickel) become strategic raw materials. Import is difficult. On the other hand, the durability and even more so the beauty of the coins become relatively less important, especially since the war is invariably accompanied by inflation.

During the Second World War, Germany passed from bronze and nickel coins to zinc, aluminum and iron coins. The same coins were minted for occupied countries - Belgium, Czech Republic, Bohemia and Moravia, Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, Yugoslavia.

There were also great changes in the chain of Germany’s allies. Bulgaria passed from a copper-nickel alloy to steel. Finland first abandoned the copper-nickel alloy in favor of copper or reduced the weight of copper coins (depending on the face value), and in 1943 switched to coinage of steel coins (Fig. 1). Hungary replaced bronze or copper-nickel alloy in small coins (depending on the face value) for steel in 1940-1941 and then for zinc in 1943; In larger coins, silver replaced in 1941 to aluminum (Fig. 2). Italy refused to mint small coins from bronze; In 1939, nickel coins were replaced with coins from Akmonital, Steel alloy that existed in two versions: 72% iron, 18% chromium and 10% of nickel (magnetic) in 1939 and 1940 and 82% of iron and 19% chromium (non -magnetic) in 1939-1943; Thus, earlier coins are both magnetic and not. At the same time, since steel - hard material, coins hardly succumbed to coinage and had a very low relief (Fig. 3).

A A B B IN In Fig. 1. Finland coins during World War II (10 Penny).
(A) copper, 5 g, 22 mm (1919–1940).
(B) copper, 2.55 g, 18½ mm (1941–1943).
(C) steel, 1.12 g, 16 mm (1943–1945)

A A B B Fig. 2. Coins of Hungary (2 Pengio).
(A) silver of the 640th test, 10 g, 27 mm (1929–1939).
(B) aluminum, 2.8 g, 28 mm (1941–1943)

A A B B Fig. 3. Coins of Italy (20 Chentesimo).
(A) Nickel, 4 g, 21½ mm (1936–1938).
(B) steel, 4 g, 22½ mm (1939–1943)

The war affected not only European countries. The United States in 1943 was minted not from copper, but from steel covered with a thin layer of zinc; And in 1944-1946 - from a copper alloy from used sleeves. The same steel blanks were used in 1944 to mint the coins of the liberated Belgium (Fig. 4). Five-center coins, which before and after the war were minted from a copper-nickel alloy (in the USA they are called Nickel), consisted of 56% copper, 35% of silver and 9% manganese in 1942-1945.

A A B B Fig. 4. The same blanks are different coins (steel covered with zinc, 2.75 g, 19 mm).
(A) One cent, USA (1943).
(B) two francs, Belgium (1944, release of allies)

In 1942-1943, Canada instead of the nickel five centers minted coins from tompak (a variety of brass, alloy 88% of copper and 12% zinc), and in 1944-1945 - from chrome steel. Apparently, the experience seemed successful, and the same five centers regularly minted since 1951.

During the war, Japan experimented with tin coins, more precisely, from a tin and zinc alloy. Before that, in Southeast Asia, this soft and therefore not very suitable metal for coinage was used for Ciam coins (Thailand) and Dutch colonies. A little earlier, in 1938, when everything was already clear, they first introduced small aluminum coins into circulation, with entry into the war, reducing their weight. Large denominations were minted from aluminum bronze instead of the former nickel, and then also from aluminum. And at the very end of the war in Japan, clay coins and trial coins made of porcelain were released (Fig. 5).

A A B B IN IN G G D. D. E E Fig. 5. The pre -war and military coins of Japan (Sep 1).
(A) bronze, 3.75 g, 23 mm (1938).
(B) aluminum, 0.9 g, 17½ ​​mm (1938–1940).
(C) aluminum, 0.65 g, 16 mm (1941–).
(D) tin and zinc alloy, 1.3 g, 15 mm (1944–1945).
(E) burned clay, 0.8 g, 15 mm (1945).
(E) porcelain, 15 mm (1945, trial)

And even Bolivia and Brazil far from the theaters of military operations, they abandoned the copper-nickel alloy in favor of zinc and aluminum bronze, respectively.

As can be seen from the examples above, the change of metal without changing the pattern was not the only form of the reaction to the deficiency of some metals - this could be either a decrease in the weight of the coin due to the diameter, thickness of the monetary circle, central hole, and simply refusal to mint a bargain coin. In the USSR, in 1942 and 1944, coins were not minted with a dignity of 1, 2, 3 and 5 kopecks, while others were released in smaller ones than usual, quantities (for example, 10- and 15-cape coins of 1942)- they are rare and therefore roads. 1 and 2 kopecks did not mint even in 1943.

On the other hand, Great Britain did not change anything in the coinage (except, possibly circulations), and even coins of the Norway government in exile was minted in London from Nickel brass. The circulation of these coins was comparable to the circulation of pre -war and occupying coins, but the majority were re -melted, and the coins of this series are now rare (Fig. 6).

A A B B IN In Fig. 6. The pre -war and military coins of Norway (25 era).
(A) copper-nickel alloy, 2.4 g, 17 mm (1924–1940 and 1946–1950).
(B) Nickel brass, 2.4 g, 17 mm (1942, London, government in exile).
(C) zinc, 2 g, 17 mm (1924–1950, German occupation)

Mikhail Gelfand, Ilya Lenson