Second Republic 1937 25 Centimos

This 25 centimos coin from 1937 was struck using zinc salvaged from wartime scrap, a practical shift forced by the Spanish Civil War's metal shortages.

That makes it a stark example of numismatic adaptation. The obverse shows a simple plough and stars, symbols of the Republic's agrarian ideals, while the reverse bears the denomination and date. Production happened at the Madrid mint, one of the few facilities still operating amid the chaos.

Exact mintage figures are murky; records from that era often vanished in the postwar shuffle. I've handled dozens over the years, and they're common in worn condition, belying the myth that every Republican coin is a rarity.

Zinc coins don't age gracefully, but they tell their own story.