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20 Heller Freistadt
| Issuer | Stadtgemeinde Freistadt |
|---|---|
| Year | 1920 |
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| Composition | Paper |
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|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | 20 HELLER Die Stadtgemeinde Freistadt gibt Gutscheine bis zu einem Gesamtbetrage von 100.000 Kr. aus. G.R.B. 3.III.1920. Diese Gutscheine werden in der Zeit vom 1.X.1920 bis einschließlich 31.X.1920 bei der städt. Kassa in gesetzl. Bargelde eingelöst. |
| Reverse description | The reverse is set within a floral and foliate letterpress border running along both side margins. At the top, the denomination '20' appears in a bold framed numeral flanked by the word 'Heller' on either side in Gothic script. Below, the legend 'Gutschein der Stadt Freistadt O.-Ö.' is inscribed in large Gothic lettering, followed by a guarantee text in smaller Gothic script. Two manuscript signatures appear over their respective printed titles 'Der Vizebürgermeister' and 'Der Bürgermeister', with a small embossed or printed municipal seal between them. The validity clause 'Gültig nur bis 31. Oktober 1920' and a counterfeiting warning close the reverse. |
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| Comments |
Freistadt's municipal Heller notes belong to the vast wave of Austrian Notgeld issued after the collapse of the Habsburg monetary system left towns scrambling for small-denomination coins. The Stadtgemeinde, like hundreds of other Austrian municipalities, filled the gap with locally authorized paper. What makes the Freistadt series mildly notable is its longevity — a 1920 issue date on notes that were apparently still being printed as late as April 1945, which places this particular print run in the final days of the war in Europe.
Whether any significant quantity reached circulation in those closing weeks is doubtful.