Passau's wartime Kleingeldersatz — small-change substitute — filled a gap created by the near-total disappearance of metal coinage from circulation after 1914. Brass, copper, and nickel were diverted to the war economy, and municipalities across Bavaria scrambled to issue their own fractional paper notes to keep daily transactions moving. Passau was one of hundreds of German cities to do so, but 3-Pfennig denominations are among the smallest and least commonly encountered in municipal emergency issues — most towns didn't bother below 5.
Passau's wartime Kleingeldersatz — small-change substitute — filled a gap created by the near-total disappearance of metal coinage from circulation after 1914. Brass, copper, and nickel were diverted to the war economy, and municipalities across Bavaria scrambled to issue their own fractional paper notes to keep daily transactions moving. Passau was one of hundreds of German cities to do so, but 3-Pfennig denominations are among the smallest and least commonly encountered in municipal emergency issues — most towns didn't bother below 5.