Catalog
See full images - free registration
Continue with Google - no registration!
or register with email
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
2 1/2 Euros Caretos from Trás-os-Montes
| Issuer | Imprensa Nacional-Casa da Moeda (INCM) |
|---|---|
| Year | 2017 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Euro (2002-date) |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | The Portuguese armillary sphere and shield coat of arms occupies the central field, rendered in high relief against a brushed background. Surrounding the central device in the lower portion of the field are stylized figures of Caretos masqueraders depicted in procession, their costumed forms fanning outward from the central emblem. The legend PORTUGAL • 2017 arcs along the upper rim, while the denomination 2,50 EURO is inscribed across the upper central field in bold raised lettering. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Reeded |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| 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.