Heller (coin)

The Heller, abbreviation hlr, was a coin, originally valued at half a pfennig, that was issued in Switzerland and various states of the Holy Roman Empire, surviving in some European countries until the 20th century.

During the interwar period, Notgeld (emergency paper money) was issued in Germany, Austria, and Liechtenstein and was denominated in hellers.

The Heller, also called the Haller or Häller (German: [ˈhɛlɐ] ⓘ), in Latin sources: denarius hallensis or hallensis denarius, derives its name from the city of Hall am Kocher[3] (today Schwäbisch Hall).

[4][5] Silver coins stamped on both sides (Häller Pfennige) were called Händelheller, often depicted a hand.

However, the composition deteriorated over time due to the gradual mixing in copper, which led to them no longer being considered as silver coins.

Beginning in the Middle Ages, it became a symbol of low worth, and a common German byword is "keinen (roten) Heller wert," lit.

Only the last Bavarian Heller of the former guilder standard remained valid in Bavaria for some time after 1878 as 1⁄2 pf coins of the new Goldmark imperial currency.

In the 1920s, the Heller currency expanded to include greater denominations in the German territories, and printed bills were produced to represent their value for trade.

In the late Middle Ages, the haller was the lowest denomination coin in the area of the Swiss Confederation and corresponded to half a pfennig.

From 1370 onwards, this haller established itself as a basic unit in the city-state of Zurich and in the princely Abbey of St. Gallen.