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40 Heller Ostermiething
| Issuer | Ostermiething, Municipality of |
|---|---|
| Year | 1920 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | 70 × 49 mm |
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| Obverse description | Letterpress-printed notgeld in blue ink on cream paper, the design enclosed within a decorative border with scrollwork corner ornaments. The legend 'NOTGELD DER GEMEINDE OSTERMIETHING' is set in bold serif type across the upper field, with the large numeral '40' centred between the denomination inscription 'HELLER' on each side; the word 'NOTGELD' appears in large capitals along the lower border panel. Below the frame, a line in German blackletter script reads '3. Ausgabe. Giltig bis 30. November 1920', denoting the third issue with its original validity date. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The reverse, on cream paper, carries a handstamp in blue-black ink applied at centre recording the extension of the redemption deadline, countersigned by the mayor. The remainder of the surface is otherwise unprinted, with any visible design elements attributable to show-through from the obverse letterpress impression. |
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| Comments |
Ostermiething is a small market town in Upper Austria, and like hundreds of similar municipalities it issued Notgeld during the postwar currency emergency of 1920 — a period when small-denomination coins had effectively vanished from circulation, hoarded or melted, leaving everyday transactions impossible without local substitutes. These municipal issues were authorized under the broader Austrian Notgeld framework but designed and printed entirely at local discretion, which is why the graphic quality varies so wildly across the series.
The single Lindlbauer signature likely indicates the Bürgermeister or a designated municipal official rather than a cashier — common for smaller communities where issuing authority was concentrated in one hand.