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50 Réis - João IV Countermarked 2 Vinténs
| Issuer | Brazil |
|---|---|
| Year | 1663 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 50 Réis |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Countermark of a crowned cross pattée within a beaded circular border, applied by royal decree of 22 March 1663 to revalue earlier João IV and Afonso VI coinage to 50 Réis (2 Vinténs). The countermark is boldly struck at center, showing a plain cross with a crown above, all contained within a dotted annular ring. The host coin beneath the countermark retains partial legends and design elements from the original Portuguese issue, now largely obscured by wear and the countermarking process. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse displays the underlying host coin's surface, heavily worn and partially legible, with remnants of the original Portuguese colonial design. The fields are irregular due to the hammered production method and subsequent countermarking, with no distinct reverse design visible beyond fragmentary legend traces along the periphery. |
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| Additional information |
João IV died in 1656, leaving Brazil's colonial coinage in administrative limbo during the regency that followed. The countermark authorizing these pieces for circulation at 50 réis was applied to existing 2 vintém coins — a practice that sidestepped the expense and logistical difficulty of striking entirely new issues in the colony. Portugal's monetary authorities relied heavily on countermarking throughout the seventeenth century precisely because purpose-struck colonial coinage remained chronically undersupplied relative to commercial demand.
The countermark itself is the coin's primary authentication point, and its clarity varies considerably across surviving examples.