The 1695 Bahia coinage emerged from Portugal's first permanent mint established in Brazil, opened that same year specifically to process silver and gold flowing from the interior — decades before the great Minas Gerais gold strikes made Brazilian production famous. The Bahia mint operated under persistent pressure to convert raw bullion quickly, and the small fractional silver pieces from its earliest years are frequently encountered with weak or off-center strikes as the facility found its footing.
Pedro II of Portugal died in 1706, meaning this piece circulated under a king who never set foot in Brazil.
The 1695 Bahia coinage emerged from Portugal's first permanent mint established in Brazil, opened that same year specifically to process silver and gold flowing from the interior — decades before the great Minas Gerais gold strikes made Brazilian production famous. The Bahia mint operated under persistent pressure to convert raw bullion quickly, and the small fractional silver pieces from its earliest years are frequently encountered with weak or off-center strikes as the facility found its footing.
Pedro II of Portugal died in 1706, meaning this piece circulated under a king who never set foot in Brazil.