5 Centavos

Brazil's monetary reform of 1967 introduced the cruzeiro novo, replacing the old cruzeiro at a rate of 1,000 to 1 — a direct response to inflation that had rendered small-denomination coins nearly worthless in daily commerce. The stainless steel composition adopted for this series reflected both cost pressures and a global mid-century shift away from copper-alloy minor coinage. Two die varieties account for the KM#577.1 and 577.2 distinctions, differing in the font weight of the date numerals.