Catalog
50 Kronen (CN stamp)
| Issuer | Città di Fiume (City of Fiume) |
|---|---|
| Year | overprint on 1914 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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| Obverse description | The Hungarian face of the Austro-Hungarian Bank 50 Korona note dated 2 January 1914 (Vienna), with a central oval vignette of a young woman in three-quarter portrait against a fine guilloche underprint. Hungarian text reading ÖTVEN KORONA appears below the vignette, with the issuing authority OSZTRÁK-MAGYAR BANK beneath. A circular handstamp in violet ink reading CITTÀ DI FIUME and FIUME, applied by decree on the Hungarian side of the note, validates this issue for circulation in Fiume, accompanied by a rectangular control stamp bearing a serial number. |
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| Obverse lettering | CITTÀ DI FIUME FIUME ÖTVEN KORONA OSZTRÁK-MAGYAR BANK TÖRVÉNYES ÉRCZPÉNZT. Bécs, 1914 január 2én (Translation: City of Fiume / Fifty Crowns / Austro-Hungarian Bank / Redeemable in lawful coin. Vienna, 2 January 1914) |
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After the First World War, Fiume's political status became one of Europe's most intractable disputes — claimed by both Italy and the newly formed Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, governed by neither for years. The city's provisional administrations issued their own currency by overprinting existing Austro-Hungarian notes rather than printing anything new. This 50 Kronen carries the "CN" stamp standing for *Città di Fiume* (or *Comune di Nettuno*, depending on which administrative phase applies), converting an imperial note into a local one by bureaucratic ink alone.
The overprint series is notoriously prone to forgeries, both contemporary and modern. Authentication hinges on the stamp's ink saturation and registration against the underlying note's paper.