Catalog
1/2 Korona Krakow
| Issuer | Gmina Stoł. Król. Miasta Krakowa (Municipality of the Royal Capital City of Kraków) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1919 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | 116 × 68 mm |
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|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | GŁÓWNA KASA STOŁ.KRÓL. MIASTA KRAKOWA PRZYJMIE TEN PRZEKAZ NA 1/2 KORONY WYRAŹNIE PÓŁ KORONY PŁATNY KAŻDEGO CZASU, NIE PÓŹNIEJ JEDNAK W PRZECIĄGU DWÓCH MIESIĘCY PO POWSZECHNEJ KONWERSYI WALUTY W POLSCE, POCZEM PRZEKAZ TEN TRACI BEZWARUNKOWO WAŻNOŚĆ GMINA STOŁ. KRÓL. MIASTA KRAKOWA PREZYDENT MIASTA GŁÓWNA KASA MIEJSKA DYREKTOR MINISTERSTWO SKARBU PODRABIANIE ASYGNAT PODLEGA KARZE CIĘŻKIEGO WIĘZIENIA L. 32003/19 S.L. 3554 |
| Reverse description | Identical in layout and colour scheme to the obverse, printed in blue-black and red with the same dense guilloche and floral border underprint. The central vignette again shows the Kraków eagle-in-gateway coat of arms in red and dark blue, surrounded by the same Polish-language redemption text. A handwritten serial number in red appears at centre, with the legislative authority reference printed at foot; no manuscript signatures are present on this face. |
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| Comments |
Kraków's municipal government issued these fractional notes out of necessity — the collapse of Habsburg monetary infrastructure in late 1918 left a chaotic mix of Austrian, German, and Polish currencies circulating simultaneously, and small change simply dried up. Local governments across the former Galician crownland stepped in independently, each printing their own emergency scrip to fill the gap before Warsaw could impose any coherent monetary order.
Kraków's notes were produced locally, which shows in the modest printing quality relative to contemporaries from established commercial printers. The ½ Korona denomination is the lowest in the municipal series, which made it among the most heavily used — and consequently the hardest to find today in any kind of decent state.