300 Réis - Luís I Countermark 'Crowned G.P.' over 200 Réis - Pedro II, Brazil Imp.

Portugal's Atlantic island dependencies periodically suffered acute coin shortages, and the Azores administration solved chronic small-denomination deficits through authorized countermarking of existing currency rather than commissioning fresh dies. This 1887 application of the crowned G.P. stamp — standing for Governo Português — converted a Brazilian 200 Réis into local tender at 300 Réis, a 50% revaluation that acknowledged both the silver content and the practical reality that beggars cannot be choosers when your nearest mint is over 1,500 kilometers away.

The host coin, a Pedro II Brazilian imperial issue, had already traveled across the South Atlantic before receiving its Azorean identity.