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500 Mil Réis Thesouro Nacional, 1st print
| Issuer | Thesouro Nacional |
|---|---|
| Year | 1835 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 500 000 Réis (500 000) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Printer | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Intaglio-printed in black on white paper by Perkins, Bacon & Petch, London. The left vignette carries the Arms of the Brazilian Empire, flanked at right by a finely engraved oval portrait medallion, while the central field is occupied by a panoramic view of the Baía de Guanabara as it appeared in the early 19th century. A text panel to the lower centre cites the authorising decree of 1 June 1833, with the denomination numerals 500 and the legend QUINHENTOS repeated across the upper and lower borders. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The reverse is unprinted, consisting of plain white paper with no engraving, lettering, or ornamental work. |
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| Comments |
Brazil's Treasury turned to Perkins, Bacon & Petch for this issue at a moment when the young empire had no domestic capacity for secure intaglio printing. Jacob Perkins had by the 1830s already revolutionized banknote engraving through his siderography process — steel-plate transfer technology that allowed identical, forgery-resistant replication at scale — and Brazilian authorities were among many overseas clients who contracted his firm precisely for that security advantage.
The "1st print" designation matters: subsequent printings of this 500 Mil Réis denomination exist, and the differences between print runs are subtle enough that misattribution is common in general collections.