2 Reais Ary Barroso

Ary Barroso composed "Aquarela do Brasil" in 1939, and the song became so thoroughly identified with Brazilian national identity that it was effectively requisitioned as unofficial cultural currency for decades — used by the Estado Novo government, appropriated by Terry Gilliam for his 1985 film, and covered by artists across six continents. This commemorative was issued on the centenary of his birth in Uberaba, Minas Gerais.

The .925 silver series from Casa da Moeda in this period ran to modest mintages, making individual issues harder to locate in original packaging than the secondary market suggests.