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12 800 Reis - Miguel I Overprint on P#14 - John Prince Regent
| Issuer | Real Erário (Royal Treasury of Portugal) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1828 |
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| Currency | Real (1517-1835) |
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| Obverse description | Brown letterpress note with ornate vignettes at top centre comprising two long-necked birds flanking an oyster-and-pearl motif set within decorative frames. The original text of the 1799-dated apólice issued under Prince Regent João is retained throughout, with manuscript date and serial number. A red overprint in starburst form, reading "D. MIGUEL I - 1828", is applied over the earlier text to validate the note under the absolutist reign of Miguel I. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | LISBOA No 1799 R 12$800 rs D. Miguel 1828 No Real Erario se hade pagar ao Portador desta Apolice de hoje a hum Anno Doze mil e oito Centos Reis Com o Seu Competente juro. Lisboa 12 de Setembro de Mil Sete Centos Noventa e Nove. Joaquim José de Souza Ignácio Antonio Ribeiro D Miguel I - 1828 (Translation: Lisbon In the Real Erario, it was necessary to pay the Bearer of this Policy from today to one Year Twelve Thousand and Eight Hundred Reis With His Competent interest. Lisbon, September 12, of One Thousand Seven Hundred Ninety-Nine.) |
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| Comments |
This note belongs to one of the more politically charged overprint operations in Portuguese monetary history. When Dom Miguel seized the throne in 1828 — deposing the constitutional order and declaring himself absolute king — the existing banknote stock carried the name and authority of João VI's regency. Rather than issue entirely new paper, the Real Erário simply overstamped the circulating João notes with Miguel's royal cipher, a cheap administrative fix that also served as a visible assertion of legitimacy.
The underlying P#14 stock had already been in circulation for years. Overprint adhesion and ink strike quality vary considerably across surviving examples, which is not surprising given the improvised nature of the operation.