Portugal turned to iron for its minor coinage in 1918 as bronze and copper were consumed by the demands of the First World War, in which Portuguese forces were fighting on the Western Front following Germany's declaration of war on Lisbon in March 1916. Iron struck poorly and corroded badly in circulation — surviving uncorroded examples are considerably harder to source than mintage figures suggest.
Portugal turned to iron for its minor coinage in 1918 as bronze and copper were consumed by the demands of the First World War, in which Portuguese forces were fighting on the Western Front following Germany's declaration of war on Lisbon in March 1916. Iron struck poorly and corroded badly in circulation — surviving uncorroded examples are considerably harder to source than mintage figures suggest.