2015-12-23 Wed

Old buildings which are in the process of renovation or demolition can turn into a treasure trove off odd, forgotten things from the past. One worker helping take down an old housing unit in Greenwood discovered a 1 Reichspfennig minted in 1942 during the Second World War.

The obverse depicts an eagle, with its wings spread, perched on a circle enclosing the Nazi Swastika. The inscription around the motif reads ‘Deutsches Reich’ with the year of issue placed below it. The reverse shows a bold ‘1’ in the centre of the coin. ‘Reichspfennig’ is placed around it from left to right. Two oak leaves with the mint mark between them is placed below the numeral.

The discovered coin is made of zinc, weighs 1.81 grams, and measures 17 mm in diameter.