5000 Cruzeiros 200th anniversary of Tiradentes' death

Joaquim José da Silva Xavier — known as Tiradentes, "tooth-puller," for his work as a barber-surgeon — was hanged and quartered in Rio de Janeiro on April 21, 1792, the only member of the Inconfidência Mineira conspiracy to face execution. His co-conspirators received commuted sentences; Tiradentes, lacking noble rank, had no such protection. The Brazilian republic later elevated him to national martyr, and April 21 became a public holiday.

This issue marks exactly two centuries from that execution. The stainless steel composition reflects Brazil's ongoing currency instability of the early 1990s — the cruzeiro itself would be replaced by the cruzeiro real just one year later.