Catalog
20 Kruna
| Issuer | Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes |
|---|---|
| Year | 1919 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 20 Kruna |
| 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 German-language face of this overstamped Oesterreichisch-Ungarische Bank 20 Kronen issue, originally dated Wien, 2. Jänner 1913, carries a Yugoslav revalidation adhesive stamp in the upper right corner together with a circular violet control cancellation. To the left, an Art Nouveau vignette presents a portrait of a young woman with an elaborate coiffure, set within an intricately engraved guilloche border, while the denomination numeral '20' is repeated in each upper corner of the note. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The Hungarian-language reverse of the underlying Oesterreichisch-Ungarische Bank note, inscribed Bécs 1913 Január 2-án, bears a violet oval control stamp applied during the Yugoslav revalidation. The left panel presents the Hungarian coat of arms within a finely engraved vignette alongside the bank name 'OSZTRÁK MAGYAR BANK' in bold letterpress, while the central field carries the large denomination text 'HUSZ KORONA' above the subsidiary legend 'TÖRVÉNYES ÉRCZPÉNZT'. A second female portrait in an oval frame occupies the right panel, surrounded by a fine guilloche underprint executed in green and rose tones. |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
| Protection type | Log in to see details |
| Protection description | Log in to see details |
| Variants | Log in to see details |
| Comments |
This note was not newly printed — it is a converted Austrian Kronen note, overstamped for use in the newly proclaimed Kingdom after the collapse of Austria-Hungary in 1918. The Yugoslav authorities needed a circulating currency immediately and had neither the time nor the infrastructure to print their own. Stamping existing Austro-Hungarian notes was the practical solution, however imperfect.
The conversion process was politically charged. Stamping was meant to prevent an uncontrolled flood of old imperial currency from destabilizing the new state's finances, but enforcement was uneven across the former empire's fragmented territories.