12 800 Réis - João V Vila Rica Mint

The Vila Rica mint — established in 1724 in the heart of Minas Gerais specifically to process gold being extracted from the richest placer deposits then known in the Americas — produced this denomination for less than a decade before consolidation shifted production elsewhere. João V, flush with Brazilian gold revenue, was simultaneously funding the construction of the Convent of Mafra in Portugal, a project of such extravagance it required the labor of roughly 45,000 workers.

The Bentes reference lists sixteen die varieties across this type's short run, several distinguishable by subtle differences in the assayer's mark.