1 Heller - Joseph II

Joseph II co-ruled with his mother Maria Theresa until her death in 1780, but from the mid-1770s he held increasing administrative authority over the Habsburg lands. These small copper heller were struck at multiple mints simultaneously to satisfy demand in the German-speaking hereditary territories, where the heller remained a practical unit of account despite its negligible purchasing power. The denomination had circulated in the region in various forms since the medieval period.

Joseph's broader currency reforms came after this issue, culminating in the standardization efforts of the 1780s.