90 Heller Obernberg bei Gries am Brenner

One of thousands of Austrian municipal Notgeld issues that flooded the country between 1919 and 1922, this 90 Heller piece from Obernberg am Brenner reflects the acute small-change shortage that followed the collapse of the Habsburg monetary system. The Brenner Pass corridor municipalities were particularly active issuers — proximity to the new Italian border, drawn by the 1919 Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye, created unusual local economic pressures as cross-border traffic dried up and Austrian Crown coinage disappeared from circulation almost entirely.

The 90 Heller denomination is atypical. Most municipal Notgeld series favored round figures; odd values like this usually indicate a calculated set designed for philatelic sale rather than pure necessity.