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2 1/2 Euros Caretos from Trás-os-Montes
| Issuer | Imprensa Nacional-Casa da Moeda (INCM) |
|---|---|
| Year | 2017 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | 28 mm |
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| Reverse description | Three Caretos figures are depicted in robust high relief, each wearing the traditional fringed costume and distinctive geometric wooden mask of the Trás-os-Montes carnival tradition. A donkey's head appears prominently to the left of the group, referencing the folkloric procession associated with the Caretos ritual. The engraver's signature BAIBA ŠIME appears in small lettering at the lower right of the field. The legend CARETOS TRÁS-OS-MONTES arcs along the upper rim in bold raised Latin capitals. |
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| Mintage | 2017 INCM - - 43,000 |
| Additional information |
The Caretos are the masked figures of the Festa de Carnaval in Podence and other villages of Trás-os-Montes, northeastern Portugal — a pre-Christian ritual tradition that UNESCO added to its Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2019. The masks, made from tin or leather, and the raucous behavior associated with them are thought to derive from pagan fertility rites that survived centuries of Christianization in one of Portugal's most geographically isolated regions.
This coin belongs to INCM's ongoing "Portugal do Minho a Timor" series, which cycles through regional cultural traditions. The 2½ Euro denomination itself is a Portuguese invention with no parallel in the eurozone — introduced by Portugal in 2008 specifically to accommodate collector-themed issues without the legal tender complications of higher face values.