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10 Centavos
| Issuer | Portugal |
|---|---|
| Year | 1942-1969 |
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| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Milled |
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| Obverse description | The Portuguese coat of arms is depicted centrally, composed of five escutcheons arranged in a cross formation, each charged with five silver bezants representing the five Moorish kings defeated at the Battle of Ourique. The shield is rendered in bold relief with a plain field. The circular legend REPVBLICA·PORTVGVESA arcs along the upper periphery in raised Latin characters, flanked by small star-shaped ornaments, with the date of issue displayed in the lower field between two additional star stops. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Portugal's bronze 10 centavos series ran through nearly three decades of the Estado Novo dictatorship, a period when Salazar kept the escudo artificially stable through fiscal austerity so strict it bordered on deflationary. Low-denomination coins circulated hard and long under that regime — purchasing power was deliberately suppressed for the rural poor, and small change moved through hands constantly.
The 1942 start date is telling: wartime metal pressures across Europe forced many nations to reformulate or abandon bronze entirely, yet Portugal, officially neutral and retaining colonial trade routes, managed to maintain the alloy throughout.