40 Reis - João Prince Countermark 'SHIELD' over 'XX Réis, José I'

In 1809, facing a chronic shortage of small change in the Angolan colony, Portuguese authorities authorized the countermarking of existing XX Réis pieces of José I to circulate at double their face value. The crowned shield punch was applied locally, a rough administrative solution to a supply problem that Lisbon was in no position to remedy — the royal court had fled to Brazil the previous year under British naval escort, with Napoleon's forces occupying Lisbon.

The Gomes reference documents considerable variation in punch placement and depth, a predictable consequence of hurried, decentralized application.