Catalog
5 Escudos
| Issuer | Casa da Moeda de Lisboa |
|---|---|
| Year | 1939-1948 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Silver (.650) |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Log in to see details |
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| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | COLONIA DE S.TOMÉ E PRINCIPE 5$00 |
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| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Reeded |
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| Additional information |
Portugal's wartime neutrality during the Second World War created unusual monetary conditions: the country accumulated significant foreign exchange reserves through tungsten exports to both sides, yet domestic silver coinage continued at a conservative alloy fineness rather than the higher .835 standard used in earlier Portuguese issues. The reduction to .650 silver was a deliberate fiscal hedge, not a wartime emergency measure — it had already been established before hostilities began.
The series ran through 1948 without alloy change, unusually stable for the period.