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20 Heller Sarmingstein
| Issuer | Markt-Kommune Sarmingstein |
|---|---|
| Year | |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 20 Hellers (0.20) |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Printer | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | The obverse presents an elaborate architectural vignette rendered in letterpress, centred on a decorative baroque-style cartouche enclosing a coat of arms with foliate and scroll ornament. Two flanking pilaster panels, each inscribed with the issuing authority and denomination, frame the central composition symmetrically. The denomination numeral '20' and the issuer inscription 'MARKT-KOMÜNE SARMINGSTEIN IM STRUDENGAU' appear in bold hand-lettered Gothic script to the right, with the printer's imprint 'Buchdruckerei J. M. Hiebl, Grein' at the lower margin. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | MARKT-COMMUNE SARMINGSTEIN |
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| Comments |
Sarmingstein is a tiny market commune on the Danube in Upper Austria, and this 20 Heller emergency note is exactly what it looks like: a local community scrambling to plug a small-change shortage during World War One, when coins vanished from circulation across Austria-Hungary almost overnight. These Notgeld issues were printed by whatever press was available locally — in this case J. M. Hiebl's print shop in nearby Grein, a few kilometers upriver.
The official stamp is the only security feature, which tells you everything about the trust model: this note worked because the issuing commune was known to every person who handled it.