20 Helera

Split's municipal government issued small-denomination emergency notes in 1919 to address a severe coin shortage during the chaotic transition period following the collapse of Austria-Hungary and the formation of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. The Gradska Općina printed these locally — not an uncommon solution for Croatian coastal municipalities struggling with a currency vacuum as Austro-Hungarian crowns lost authority and the new dinar had yet to fully penetrate daily commerce.

The dry stamp was the municipality's primary authenticity control, applied post-printing. These small fractional notes were produced under genuinely improvised conditions, and the survival rate is low — they were ephemeral by design, intended for everyday small transactions and quickly worn out or discarded once proper coinage returned.