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5 Réis - Maria II
| Issuer | Portugal |
|---|---|
| Year | 1840-1853 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Milled |
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| Obverse description | The ornate Portuguese royal coat of arms occupies the central field, featuring the traditional escutcheon with five bezants in cross arrangement and the castle bordure, set within an elaborate baroque cartouche with foliate scrollwork. The shield is surmounted by an open royal crown of elaborate design, adorned with pearls and fleur-de-lis elements and topped by a cross. The circular legend reads MARIA * II * DEI * GRATIA around the periphery, separated by star-shaped ornaments, with a fine beaded border running along the rim. |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Maria II came to the Portuguese throne through a dynastic civil war — the Liberal Wars — that ended in 1834 with the defeat of her absolutist uncle Miguel. The copper coinage reforms that followed were part of a broader effort to stabilize a monetary system wrecked by years of conflict and Miguel's own debased issues. These 5 réis pieces entered circulation during a period when Portugal was still financially exhausted, and copper small change was desperately needed in everyday commerce.
The Gomes reference places this squarely within the reorganized national mint output under the constitutional monarchy. Dies for this type are known to show variation across the emission years.