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20 Heller Brunn am Gebirge
| Issuer | Marktgemeinde Brunn am Gebirge (Market Town of Brunn am Gebirge) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1920 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 20 Hellers (0.20) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | The obverse is printed in brown on cream paper with a horizontal triptych layout. The upper register carries the denomination '20 HELLER' in bold block lettering within a ruled border, with the numeral '20' repeated at upper corners. Two pen-and-ink architectural vignettes flank a large central numeral '20' above the word 'NOTGELD': to the left, a grand baroque-style public building, and to the right, a medieval tower with surrounding structures. The lower register bears the municipal coat of arms at centre, flanked by the issuing authority text and three facsimile signature lines identifying the Vizebürgermeister, the Bürgermeister (Alexander Scherban), and a representative of the Finanzausschuss. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The reverse is printed in dark brown on plain cream stock with a simple ornamental chain border framing the entire field. The interior carries a block of justified German text in a plain letterpress typeface, citing the municipal council resolution of 16 June 1920 authorising the issue of Notgeld, confirming redemption in legal tender by 31 October 1920, and warning that counterfeiting is punishable by law. No vignettes or additional graphic elements are present. |
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| Comments |
Brunn am Gebirge is a small market town south of Vienna, and like hundreds of Austrian municipalities it issued its own emergency small change — Notgeld — during the postwar economic collapse when coins essentially vanished from circulation. The 20 Heller denomination was among the most practically useful, covering fares, small purchases, and the kind of transactions that coinage had previously handled without thought.
A print run of over twelve million for a single municipality is striking. That figure suggests either centralized printing shared across multiple issuing communities or aggressive over-issuance by local authorities betting on inflation rendering redemption obligations meaningless — a gamble many Austrian towns quietly made.