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100 Réis - Carlos I
| Issuer | Portugal |
|---|---|
| Year | 1890-1898 |
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| Value | 100 Réis |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Bare-headed effigy of King Carlos I facing right, with closely cropped curly hair and a short beard, rendered in high relief with fine portrait detail. The engraver's signature ALVES appears incuse at the truncation of the neck. The circular legend arcs around the upper and lateral fields, separated from the portrait by a continuous inner beaded border. The date appears in the lower field between two small decorative stars. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
Carlos I ascended the Portuguese throne in 1889 following the sudden death of Luís I, inheriting a kingdom already deep in fiscal trouble. By 1891, Portugal became the first European nation to default on its foreign debt in the modern era, triggering an austerity program that reshaped public finances for a generation. This small silver piece circulated through exactly that crisis.
The .917 fineness holds — unusually high for a coin of this denomination — carried over from earlier monetary conventions rather than reflecting any contemporary generosity toward the coinage.