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50 Réis Casa da Moeda
| Issuer | Casa da Moeda de Portugal |
|---|---|
| Year | 1891 |
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| Printer | Casa da Moeda, Lisbon |
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| Obverse description | The Portuguese royal coat of arms appears as an underprint at both left and right margins, framing the central denomination text. The face is printed in black letterpress on plain paper stock, with the issuer name, denomination in full, place and date of issue, and the director's title arranged in horizontal text blocks across the centre field. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | CASA DA MOEDA Bronze * CINCOENTA RÉIS * Bronze Lisboa 6 de agosto de 1891 O DIRECTOR (Translation: Mint House Bronze * Fifty réis * Bronze Lisbon, 6th of August of 1891 The director) |
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| Comments |
Portugal's 1891 financial crisis — triggered by a balance-of-payments collapse and the suspension of gold convertibility in May of that year — forced the government into emergency small-denomination paper. Coin shortages had left daily transactions nearly impossible, and the Casa da Moeda produced these fractional notes in-house as a stopgap. Printing and issuing authority were the same institution, which was unusual even by the standards of the day.
The 50 Réis was among the lowest denominations issued under these emergency conditions. Notes of this type circulated hard and survived poorly — the thin paper and small format meant heavy wear was almost inevitable within months of release.