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40 Réis - José I Countermarked 20 Réis, KM#175.1
| Issuer | Brazil |
|---|---|
| Year | 1809 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Reference(s) | KM#280 |
| Obverse description | Central field features the Portuguese royal arms — a crowned shield displaying the quinas (five escutcheons) of Portugal — set within a beaded inner circle. The date appears below the shield within the legend. The circumferential legend, in Roman capitals, runs along the outer rim between the beaded border and the dentilated edge, identifying the issuing monarch. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | JOSEPHUS.I.D.G.P.ET.BRASIL.REX XX 1773 (Translation: Joseph I, by the Grace of God, King of Portugal and Brazil XX 1773) |
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| Additional information |
By 1809, the Portuguese royal family had been installed in Rio de Janeiro for over a year following their flight from Napoleon's invasion of Lisbon. The colonial mint faced an immediate practical problem: demand for small change vastly outpaced the capacity to strike new coin. The solution was bureaucratically elegant — existing José I copper 20 réis pieces were countermarked and revalued upward to 40 réis, effectively doubling their face value without new production.
The countermark was applied at Rio. Pieces vary considerably in the placement and sharpness of the stamp, and host coin condition ranges widely since circulated examples were pulled directly from everyday use.