Catalog
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| Issuer | Thesouro Nacional |
|---|---|
| Year | 1854 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 20 000 Réis (20 000) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Printer | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Intaglio-printed in black on white paper by Perkins, Bacon & Petch, the obverse presents a central allegorical vignette of Peace, Agriculture and Science above the main text panel, with the Imperial Arms of Brazil to the left and an imperial distinction to the right. The denomination and serial number are letterpress-printed, and an order number appears as a hand-stamped impression. The full promissory legend is contained within a structured engraved border characteristic of the Perkins, Bacon & Petch workshop, with repeated denomination numerals and text along the margins. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The reverse is entirely unprinted, left as plain white paper stock consistent with Brazilian Imperial-era Treasury issues of this period. |
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| Comments |
Brazil's Thesouro Nacional turned to Perkins, Bacon & Petch at a moment when the firm's steel-engraved intaglio work was the global benchmark for anti-counterfeiting security — the same London house had produced early postage stamps for Britain and numerous colonial note series. The "4th print" designation marks this as one of several sequential print runs commissioned against the same basic plate design, a procurement approach Brazil used repeatedly during the mid-century period when domestic printing capacity was inadequate for secure currency production.
Mil réis denominations of this era circulated under persistent inflationary pressure; the 1850s saw ongoing debate in Rio de Janeiro over whether the Thesouro Nacional or the Banco do Brasil should hold primary note-issuing authority — a dispute that shaped how these Treasury notes were positioned and retired.