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monnaie de nécessité
| Issuer | Kematen bei Wels, Municipality of |
|---|---|
| Year | 1920 |
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| In circulation to | 31 December 1920 |
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| Obverse description | The obverse is divided into two vertical panels: the left panel bears the Kematen coat of arms above a commemorative German text in Gothic script marking the 500th anniversary of the market charter, with the dates 1620 and 1920 at the foot. The right panel, set on a toned background, carries the heading 'Jubiläums-Notgeld' in Gothic lettering, the denomination '80 Heller' flanking a central oval vignette of the market church, and below, the issuing authority 'Markt-Verwaltung Kematen bei Wels' in large Gothic script together with the validity date, place of issue, and a facsimile signature of the Marktverwalter. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse lettering | Der Markt Kematen bei Wels / gibt auf Grund des Marktausschußsitzungsbeschlusses vom 6. Juni 1920 Notgeld aus u. haftet für die Einlösung mit seinem gesamten Aktiv-Vermögen. / Nachahmung wird gesetzlich bestraft. / Der Marktverwalter: Joh. Fronberger |
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| Comments |
Austrian municipal notgeld from the post-WWI inflationary period, when the central government's inability to supply adequate small-denomination currency forced hundreds of villages and towns to issue their own emergency scrip. Kematen bei Wels, a small Upper Austrian municipality, was one of thousands that did so between 1920 and 1922. These local issues were technically illegal under Austrian banking law but were tolerated out of sheer necessity.
The Fronberger signature likely indicates the Bürgermeister or a municipal treasurer — the name appears on several Upper Austrian issues from this period. Collector demand for Austrian notgeld was substantial even at the time of issue, which means many examples were never circulated at all.