Catalog
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| Issuer | Thesouro Nacional |
|---|---|
| Year | 1844 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Shape | Rectangular |
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| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | 20 VINTE 20 VINTE 20 VINTE 20 IMPERIO DO BRASIL Nº ____ 20$000 NO THESOURO NACIONAL SE PAGARÁ AO PORTADOR DESTA A QUANTIA DE VINTE MIL RÉIS VALOR RECEBIDO. 20 20 VINTE 20 VINTE 20 VINTE 20 (Translation: 20 Twenty Empire of Brazil No. ____ 20$000 At the National Treasury you will pay bearer of this the amount of Twenty Thousand Réis, amount received. 20 20 Twenty) |
| Reverse description | Unprinted yellow paper reverse, bearing only handwritten and manuscript notations added in circulation, consistent with this type of mid-19th century Brazilian Treasury issue. |
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| Comments |
Perkins, Bacon & Petch — at the time still operating under that transitional name before settling as Perkins, Bacon & Co. — were the dominant security printers of the mid-nineteenth century, best known for their siderographic steel engraving process, which made plate duplication and counterfeiting exceptionally difficult. Brazil's Imperial Treasury turned to them repeatedly across multiple print runs of this series, a reasonable choice for a government that had been battling note forgery since the 1820s.
The "3rd print" designation matters here. Each successive print run of this denomination carried subtle differences in plate state and overprint details, and misidentification between runs is common. Collectors distinguishing between them should focus on the serial number typography and any manuscript annotations rather than the core engraved design, which remained largely consistent across printings.