Zinc became Austria's emergency coinage metal during World War I after copper was requisitioned for shell casings. The Heller denominations struck in zinc from 1916 onward were never intended to outlast the war — their corrosion-prone composition ensured most survivors are heavily patinated or pitted, making clean examples genuinely difficult to find.
Zinc became Austria's emergency coinage metal during World War I after copper was requisitioned for shell casings. The Heller denominations struck in zinc from 1916 onward were never intended to outlast the war — their corrosion-prone composition ensured most survivors are heavily patinated or pitted, making clean examples genuinely difficult to find.