1 Real

The Real was introduced in July 1994 as the centerpiece of the Plano Real, the stabilization program engineered largely by Fernando Henrique Cardoso — then finance minister — to end Brazil's years of chronic hyperinflation that had at one point reached nearly 2,500% annually. The bimetallic format adopted for this denomination was a deliberate anti-counterfeiting measure, not an aesthetic choice.

The 2002 date marks the transition from the original KM#652 specification, with the revised alloy composition distinguishing this type from its predecessor.