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1200 Réis - Miguel I Overprint on P#16 - John Prince Regent
| Issuer | Real Erário (Royal Treasury of Portugal) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1828 |
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| Shape | Rectangular |
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| Obverse description | The upper central vignette presents two allegorical children watering a flower, flanked by foliate branches and the Portuguese royal arms, with additional ornamental devices above and to the left. Below the allegorical vignette, the body text of the apólice is set in letterpress with manuscript signatures. A red revalidation handstamp bearing the Royal Crown, the name MIGUEL I, and the date 1828 is applied over the central text, reauthorizing the original note for continued circulation. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse is largely plain, with manuscript signatures applied in ink at the lower portion of the note, as required for validation of the apólice. |
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| Comments |
When Dom Miguel seized the Portuguese throne in 1828 and declared himself absolute king, the liberal constitutional government's banknote stock became an immediate political problem. The solution was straightforward: overprint the existing João VI regent-era 1200 Réis notes with Miguel's authority rather than commission an entirely new issue. This was administrative improvisation under dynastic pressure, not a planned monetary reform.
The underlying P#16 plates dated from the Regency period, making these overprinted notes a palimpsest of two competing legitimacies printed on the same paper. Miguel's reign collapsed in 1834, and much of the currency tied to his government was subsequently withdrawn.