WWII Iron And Zinc Coins - Dark Coins

It is well known that during the great wars the nations wrapped up in them were in need of certain metals necessary for the machinery of war, such as Nickel and Copper. The inflation caused by the war also caused the precious metals to be taken out of circulation ,so that for minting coins were replaced the metals previously used by others less coveted or more abundant such as Zinc, Iron and Aluminum.

In particular, I have always interested in coins of the WWII period made of zinc or iron, because their dark patina reflects the tragedy in which they were conceived: Totalitarian regimes, occupied countries, destroyed economies, genocide, destruction, misery....... Once again the coins reflect the History and I think this represent an interesting topic to collect, reinforced by the fact that they are usually cheap due to the large amount that were made.


An example: after being invaded the kingdom of Yugoslavia on 6 April 1941 by the Axis Powers.


Serbia, as a country occupied by the Germans, were minted coins made of Zinc of 50PARA, 1 Dinar and 2 Dinara in 1942 and 10 Dinara in 1943.





Croatia, as a satellite country of Germany, coined this coin in Zinc of 2 Kune in 1941, krause also refers to 1 Kuna coin as extremely rare.




Immediately after the war , Yugoslavia under Tito minted coins made of Zinc of 50PARA, 1, 2 and 5 Dinara, in 1945.