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20 Réis - João VI Rio de Janeiro mint
| Issuer | Casa da Moeda do Rio de Janeiro |
|---|---|
| Year | 1820 |
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| Currency | Real (1750-1910) |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | At centre, the large denomination numeral '20' in bold relief surmounts the date '1820', with a royal crown positioned above. Two quatrefoil ornaments flank the central devices on either side. The entire central design is enclosed within a beaded circle, outside which the circular legend runs along the periphery of the coin. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The Portuguese royal arms, featuring the quartered shield with five escutcheons and the bordure of castles, is displayed at centre within a terrestrial globe rendered with meridian and parallel lines and surmounted by a cross. The globe rests on a laurel branch tied at the base with a ribbon. The circular Latin legend encircles the entire composition within a beaded border. |
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| Additional information |
João VI issued this copper coinage from Rio de Janeiro under circumstances unique in Atlantic world history — he was a reigning European monarch governing from his colonial capital, having relocated the entire Portuguese court to Brazil in 1808 after Napoleon's invasion of Lisbon. The Rio mint, reactivated specifically to supply the transplanted court's monetary needs, produced small copper denominations like this to serve the local economy Napoleon had inadvertently forced into self-sufficiency.
By 1820, the year this piece was struck, revolutionary pressure in Portugal was already building toward the Liberal Revolution that would force João's reluctant return to Lisbon the following year.