160 Réis - Pedro II Rio de Janeiro and Pernambuco Mints

These cob-style pieces — known in Brazil as "moeda de cordão" — were struck under the monetary reorganization mandated by Portugal following chronic shortages of circulating silver in the colony. The 160 réis denomination was peculiar to the Brazilian mints and had no direct equivalent in the metropolitan Portuguese system, a concession to local commercial realities rather than metropolitan preference. Portugal had resisted establishing a full silver coinage in Brazil for decades, and this series was among the first substantial silver issues produced on Brazilian soil.

The KM#88.1 and #88.2 distinctions separate the Rio de Janeiro and Pernambuco mint outputs, with the latter being considerably scarcer by surviving population.