100 Réis - Afonso VI Countermark 'Crowned 100' over LXXX

Afonso VI's reign produced one of the more administratively chaotic coinage episodes in Portuguese history. Following the restoration of independence from Spain in 1640, the Crown faced chronic silver shortages and a fractured monetary supply — existing 80 Réis pieces were countermarked and revalued upward to 100 Réis rather than striking entirely new coin. The punch itself, a crowned numeral, was applied at the mint to circulating pieces already worn from use, which explains the frequently off-center placement collectors encounter on surviving examples.

Afonso VI was deposed by his own brother in 1667, the same year this countermarking program ended.