Catalog
200 Cruzeiros 3rd edition, overprinted on P# 221
| Issuer | Banco Central do Brasil |
|---|---|
| Year | 1990 |
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| Currency | Cruzeiro (1990-1993) |
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| Obverse description | At centre, an allegorical vignette of the Republic rendered as a sculptural effigy is flanked on the left by an engraved composition presenting the Republican founding figures Silva Jardim, Benjamim Constant, Marshal Deodoro da Fonseca, and Quintino Bocaiúva, all within a design commemorating the first centenary of the Republic. A rectangular black overprint stamp bearing the new denomination '200 CRUZEIROS' is applied over the original '200 CRUZADOS NOVOS' legend of the underlying P#221 note. The denomination numeral '200' appears at left and right within the panel, and the note carries facsimile signatures of the Minister of Economy, Finance and Planning and the President of the Central Bank. |
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| Reverse description | The reverse reproduces a detail from the oil painting Pátria by Brazilian artist Pedro Bruno (1888–1949), rendered in warm, naturalistic tones characteristic of the Brazilian genre-painting tradition, in which the national flag appears within an intimate domestic scene evoking patriotic sentiment. The denomination numeral '200' is printed at the left and right margins, and an inscription along the lower margin attributes the artwork by title and medium. The original lettering of the underlying P#221 note, reading 'DUZENTOS CRUZADOS NOVOS', remains visible beneath the overprint. |
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| Comments |
This note exists because of speed, not planning. In early 1990, the Collor government froze 80% of Brazil's liquid financial assets overnight — one of the most aggressive anti-inflation interventions in Latin American monetary history. The Casa da Moeda simply could not produce new denominations fast enough to meet demand, so existing 200 Cruzeiros stock from the earlier series (P#221) was overprinted rather than reprinted.
The catalog error on the upper series bound — A2668 versus the correct A2684 — is worth flagging for anyone chasing a complete run of this short-lived issue.