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.

It was first recorded in 1200 or 1208 though according to Reiner Hausherr, it may have existed as early as 1189. The hellers were gradually so debased that they were no longer silver coins. There were 576 hellers in a Reichsthaler ("imperial thaler"). After the Second World War, hellers only survived in Czechoslovakia and Hungary.

The heller also existed as a silver unit of weight equal to 1⁄512 of a Mark.

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