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1/4 Macuta - Maria I and Pedro III
| Issuer | Portuguese Crown (for Angola) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1783-1786 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Real (18th century-1914) |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse presents a plain field dominated by the denomination expressed in two lines — MACU above TA — followed by the fractional value 1/4 arranged vertically in the centre, all enclosed within a raised inner beaded circle. Four small floral rosette ornaments are symmetrically placed at the cardinal points within this inner circle. The date 1785 appears prominently at the top of the outer field, while the circular legend AFRICA·PORTUGUEZA· runs around the periphery, identifying the coin's colonial destination. The entire design is contained within a finely milled outer border. |
| Reverse script | Latin |
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| Edge | Log in to see details |
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| Additional information |
Angola's macuta coinage was a deliberate colonial accounting tool — the macuta itself derived from a local unit of value already in use among Angolan traders, which the Portuguese formalized and co-opted rather than replaced. This quarter macuta was struck under the joint reign of Maria I and her uncle-husband Pedro III, a dynastic arrangement that ended when Pedro died in 1786, neatly explaining the issue's close date range.
Copper colonial issues of this period circulated hard in the Angolan slave trade economy and survivors in any decent state are genuinely scarce.