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50 Heller Stein an der Donau
| Issuer | Stadtgemeinde Stein an der Donau |
|---|---|
| Year | 1920 |
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| In circulation to | 1 October 1920 |
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| Obverse description | Violet-tinted letterpress Notgeld on plain paper, centred on a vignette of a medieval tower amid the rooftops of Stein an der Donau, framed by decorative vine-leaf corner panels with the denomination numeral '50' and the word 'Heller' in script at either side. A bold Fraktur legend below the vignette names the issuing municipality, followed by a two-line guarantee clause and the issue date of 9 April 1920. Three facsimile manuscript signatures of municipal officials — Vicebürgermeister, Bürgermeister, and Gemeinderat — run along the lower margin. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Cream-toned reverse set entirely in typeset Fraktur within a single ruled rectangular border, carrying a formal text block explaining the issue of non-interest-bearing Kassenscheine totalling 100,000 Kronen to alleviate the small-change shortage, with redemption conditions at the municipal treasury between 16 and 30 September 1920. The denomination 'Fünfzig Heller' is rendered in large bold Fraktur type below the text block, with the printer's imprint 'J. Faber, Krems' at the foot. |
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| Comments |
Stein an der Donau — today merged with Krems — issued its own emergency small change during the severe coin shortage that gripped postwar Austria between 1919 and 1922. These municipal Notgeld emissions were a practical response to a collapsed imperial currency system and a mint unable to produce sufficient coinage for everyday transactions. Hundreds of Austrian towns did the same, but proximity to Krems meant Stein could call on J. Faber locally rather than waiting on Vienna printers already overwhelmed with similar commissions.
The 50 Heller denomination sits at the upper end of what small-town issuers typically needed — enough to cover a loaf of bread or a tram fare at inflated 1920 prices.