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5 Euros Aristides de Sousa Mendes, Silver
| Issuer | Imprensa Nacional-Casa da Moeda |
|---|---|
| Year | 2021 |
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| Technique | Milled |
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| Reverse description | A stylised high-relief portrait of Aristides de Sousa Mendes dominates the field, depicting the diplomat in a three-quarter frontal view, wearing a suit and tie, rendered in a modern sculptural style with matt finish against a polished field. To the right of the portrait, two vertical inscriptions read ARISTIDES DE SOUSA MENDES and 1885 – 1954, followed below by the legend UM JUSTO ENTRE AS NAÇÕES (A Righteous Among the Nations), honouring his recognition by Yad Vashem for saving thousands of Jewish refugees during World War II. |
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| Mintage | 2021 - Proof - 2,500 |
| Additional information |
Aristides de Sousa Mendes was the Portuguese consul-general in Bordeaux who, in June 1940, defied direct orders from the Salazar regime and issued thousands of visas to refugees — predominantly Jewish — fleeing the Nazi advance into France. Salazar had him recalled, stripped of his post, and effectively ruined financially. Portugal did not rehabilitate him officially until 1988, nearly four decades after his death in poverty.
This silver issue appeared alongside a base-metal companion piece, the KM#924. The rehabilitation narrative took on renewed political weight in Portugal during the 2010s, leading directly to this commemorative.