10 Centavos Prova

Casa da Moeda do Brasil issued pattern strikings — designated *prova* in Brazilian numismatic terminology — as internal authorization pieces before committing to full production runs. The 1979–1980 window for this type coincides with Brazil's monetary adjustments under the military government of João Figueiredo, the last of the generals to hold the presidency, who inherited an economy careening toward the debt crisis that would detonate in the early 1980s.

Stainless steel was being evaluated as a cost-control measure across the centavo denominations during this period. Whether this specific composition was ultimately adopted or rejected informs much of the type's collector interest.