1 Mil Réis Thesouro Nacional, 3rd print

Brazil's Imperial Treasury turned to Perkins, Bacon & Petch for much of its mid-century paper currency, relying on the firm's steel-engraving technology — the same method that made their banknote and stamp work notoriously difficult to counterfeit. This 1860 issue is the third print of the 1 Mil Réis, a denomination that circulated heavily at the lower end of daily commerce and suffered accordingly. Survivors in presentable condition are genuinely uncommon precisely because the note was used, not saved.

The Thesouro Nacional series predates the Republic by three decades, issued under Pedro II at a moment when Brazil's paper currency still competed uneasily with coin in public trust.