20 Heller, Blue issue

Austrian Notgeld of this type emerged from a severe postwar coin shortage that left small municipalities effectively unable to conduct everyday commerce. Langacker bei Berg, a modest community in Upper Austria, issued these emergency heller notes under municipal authority — a practice legally tolerated by the Austrian government from 1918 onward, though technically outside normal banking channels. Three signatories authenticate this particular piece: the mayor, his deputy, and a single councillor, which was the minimum quorum most parishes used to establish local validity.

The blue color distinguishes this from other denominations in the same Langacker series, a simple anti-counterfeiting measure common among smaller issuers who lacked access to sophisticated printing.