Catalog
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
| Issuer | Brazil |
|---|---|
| Year | 1956-1961 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | REPUBLICA DOS ESTADOS UNIDOS DO BRASIL |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse script | Latin |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
Brazil's shift to aluminum for this denomination in 1956 was driven by chronic shortages of the copper-nickel alloys that had served earlier issues, compounded by the Kubitschek government's aggressive industrialization spending — the same fiscal pressures that were simultaneously inflating the cruzeiro into near-worthlessness. Aluminum was cheap, domestically available, and easy to strike in volume.
The alloy's low density created persistent vending machine incompatibility, and the coins were notoriously easy to counterfeit with foil. The series was retired by 1961 as monetary reform discussions accelerated toward the cruzeiro's eventual replacement.