See full images — free registration
Continue with Google — it's free or register with email

500 Réis - João IV Countermarked 1 Cruzado

Issuer Brazil
Year 1663
Type Log in to see details
Value 500 Réis
Currency Log in to see details
Composition Log in to see details
Weight Log in to see details
Diameter Log in to see details
Thickness Log in to see details
Shape Log in to see details
Technique Log in to see details
Orientation Log in to see details
Engraver(s) Log in to see details
In circulation to Log in to see details
Reference(s) Log in to see details
Obverse description The obverse displays the Portuguese royal arms — the shield of Portugal bearing five escutcheons in saltire each charged with five bezants, and a bordure of castles — surmounted by a royal crown with fleurs-de-lis. A circular Latin legend runs around the periphery of the irregularly shaped flan, partially legible due to the hammered production technique. The heraldic composition is rendered in the characteristic style of 17th-century Portuguese coinage, with bold relief on the central device.
Obverse script Log in to see details
Obverse lettering Log in to see details
Reverse description The reverse of the host Portuguese 1 Cruzado coin displays the Cross of the Order of Christ — a large plain cross with splayed ends dividing the field into four quadrants, each containing a bezant or roundel — surrounded by a beaded inner border and a partial Latin circumscription. Prominently applied over the lower-right quadrant is the Type 4 Brazilian countermark of 1663: a rectangular cartouche surmounted by a small crown, enclosing the numeral '500' indicating the new revalued denomination of 500 Réis. The countermark is sharply struck and clearly legible against the underlying cross design.
Reverse script Latin
Reverse lettering Log in to see details
Edge Log in to see details
Mint Log in to see details
Mintage Log in to see details
Additional information Log in to see details