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20 Kronen 2nd edition
| Issuer | Oesterreichisch-Ungarische Bank |
|---|---|
| Year | 1913 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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| Obverse description | Left half carries an intaglio vignette of a young woman's portrait within an ornate beaded cartouche, with denomination numerals '20' at upper corners and the overprint 'II. AUFLAGE' in letterpress at the lower left margin. The right half bears the imperial double-eagle vignette at top, the bank's German-language payment clause, the bold denomination 'ZWANZIG KRONEN', date 'WIEN 2. JÄNNER 1913', and three facsimile signatures above a multilingual denomination panel. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Hungarian-language face printed in blue and red on a fine guilloche underprint. The Hungarian coat of arms occupies the upper left, flanked by the bank name 'OSZTRAK-MAGYAR BANK' and two facsimile signatures. A large central rosette guilloche carries the numeral '20' in purple. At right, a vignette of the same young woman appears within a dotted oval cartouche, with the overprint 'II. KIADÁS' in letterpress at the lower right margin. |
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| Comments |
The Oesterreichisch-Ungarische Bank's second edition 20 Kronen was introduced as the monarchy struggled to modernize its currency supply ahead of what would become extraordinary wartime demand. The unusual proportions — nearly four times as wide as tall — were a deliberate anti-counterfeiting measure, as the elongated format complicated reproduction on the presses available to forgers at the time.
By 1918, notes of this type were circulating across a dissolving empire, and the successor states each dealt with the outstanding stock differently — Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia applied overprints to identify and sequester their respective shares before the final currency separation agreements were concluded.