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20 Mil Reis
| Issuer | Thesouro Nacional |
|---|---|
| Year | 1869-1883 |
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| Printer | American Bank Note Company |
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| Obverse description | Dark green and black intaglio-printed note with the denomination numeral "20" in large figures at upper left and upper right corners, flanked by intricate guilloche rosettes. A portrait vignette of Emperor Dom Pedro II occupies the left panel. The central vignette shows a seated allegorical female figure beside a palm tree, resting her hand on a crowned imperial coat of arms, with a landscape in the background. A second allegorical female figure is positioned at the right margin. The inscription "IMPERIO DO BRASIL" arches across the top, with "VINTE MIL REIS" in large letterpress type along the lower register. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Printed in warm brown tones, the reverse is dominated by a large central circular medallion bearing a globe vignette surrounded by the legend "IMPERIO DO BRASIL" and an elaborate radiating guilloche pattern. Flanking the central medallion are two symmetrical oval panels each carrying the denomination numeral "20" within dense geometric lathe-work. The entire composition is enclosed within a highly ornate border of interlocking rosettes and engine-turned guilloche work. |
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| Comments |
The Thesouro Nacional — Brazil's national treasury — issued this series during a period when the imperial government relied heavily on foreign printers for security documents it lacked the domestic capacity to produce reliably. The American Bank Note Company held that relationship for decades, and the consistency of their intaglio work gave these notes a visual authority that locally-produced Brazilian paper currency of the same period couldn't match.
The fifteen-year span across the 1869–1883 dating range reflects successive reauthorizations rather than continuous printing runs — ABNC would produce batches against specific treasury orders, meaning examples from different years can show subtle variation in ink depth and paper stock despite sharing the same basic plate design.