1000 Korun

Ordered from the American Bank Note Company almost immediately after the declaration of Czechoslovak independence in October 1918, this note was part of the new state's urgent effort to establish a distinct currency before Austrian and Hungarian notes could be formally withdrawn. The ABNCo contract was a deliberate political signal — anchoring the fledgling republic's monetary credibility to American production values at a moment when transatlantic goodwill toward Czechoslovakia ran high following Masaryk's wartime diplomacy in Washington.

Foringer is best known outside numismatics for designing the American Red Cross "Greatest Mother" poster of 1918. Smillie came from a dynasty of professional engravers long employed by the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing — his involvement here reflects the fluid movement of talent between federal and private banknote work that defined American security printing in this period.