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20 Réis - João Prince Regent Countermarked X Réis - Maria I, KM# 215
| Issuer | Brazil |
|---|---|
| Year | 1809 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Obverse lettering | MARIA.I.D.G.P.ET.BRASILIÆ.REGINA Shield on X 1790 |
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| Reverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
In 1809, the Portuguese crown — then operating from Rio de Janeiro following the Napoleonic invasion of the Iberian Peninsula — faced an acute shortage of small copper currency in Brazil. Rather than strike entirely new coinage, existing X Réis pieces of Maria I were countermarked to raise their face value to 20 Réis, doubling the denomination at a stroke. It was an expedient solution to a circulation crisis in a colony that had just become, effectively, the seat of empire.
The countermark itself is notoriously inconsistently applied, and genuine pieces vary considerably in strike depth.