Czechoslovakia's first coinage as an independent state came with remarkable speed — the republic had only been proclaimed in October 1918, and by 1920 the new government was already issuing a complete series of denominations to replace the Austro-Hungarian currency still circulating in Czech and Slovak pockets. Ladislav Šaloun, better known as the sculptor behind Prague's Jan Hus monument, contributed to the early design work for the series.
The nickel-brass alloy was a deliberate economic choice, reflecting the chronic copper and nickel shortages that plagued Central European mints in the immediate postwar years.
Czechoslovakia's first coinage as an independent state came with remarkable speed — the republic had only been proclaimed in October 1918, and by 1920 the new government was already issuing a complete series of denominations to replace the Austro-Hungarian currency still circulating in Czech and Slovak pockets. Ladislav Šaloun, better known as the sculptor behind Prague's Jan Hus monument, contributed to the early design work for the series.
The nickel-brass alloy was a deliberate economic choice, reflecting the chronic copper and nickel shortages that plagued Central European mints in the immediate postwar years.