| Obverse description |
The German-language face of the underlying Austro-Hungarian Bank 10 Kronen note of 2 January 1915 (Pick A19), printed in teal-green tones with an intricate guilloche underprint. A central vignette presents a portrait of a young boy within an oval frame, flanked by ornamental rosettes. The bold letterpress heading reads ZEHN KRONEN, with the issuing authority text of the Oesterreichisch-Ungarische Bank above; by decree, the CITTÁ DE FIUME handstamp was required to be applied to the Hungarian-language side of the note, as Fiume fell within the Hungarian crown lands — handstamps found on this German face are considered to have been applied informally at a later date. |
| Reverse description |
The Hungarian-language side of the 1915 Austro-Hungarian Bank 10 Kronen note, printed in matching teal-green guilloche patterns. A multilingual denomination panel on the right lists the value in the various languages of the Empire, including TÍZ KORONA and equivalent renderings in Czech, Polish, Ukrainian, Italian, Slovenian, Croatian, and Romanian. The CITTÁ DE FIUME overprint or handstamp was mandated by decree to be placed on this Hungarian-language face, validating the note for circulation within the claimed territory of Fiume. |
After the dissolution of Austria-Hungary, Fiume's status became the subject of one of the ugliest territorial disputes of the post-WWI settlement. Italy claimed it, Yugoslavia claimed it, and for a brief period in 1919–1920 the city was seized by Gabriele D'Annunzio's irregular forces, who declared the Italian Regency of Carnaro. The Città di Fiume — the municipal government, not D'Annunzio's short-lived state — stamped existing Austro-Hungarian Kronen notes with a "CF" overprint to establish local monetary authority during the interregnum.
Forgeries of the CF overprint exist and are well-documented. The genuine stamp shows consistent ink density and crisp letterform edges; blurred or offset impressions warrant scrutiny before attribution.