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640 Réis - João VI
| Issuer | Casa da Moeda do Brasil |
|---|---|
| Year | 1818-1822 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Mintage | 1818 M - KM#325.1 (Vila Rica) - 1818 R - KM#325.2 (Rio de Janeiro) - 13,218 1819 R - KM#325.2 (Rio de Janeiro) - 17,718 1820 R - KM#325.2 (Rio de Janeiro) - 20,267 1821 B - KM#325.3 (Bahia) - 7,664 1821 R - KM#325.2 (Rio de Janeiro) - 329,759 1822 R - KM#325.2 (Rio de Janeiro) - 565 |
| Additional information |
João VI issued this coin from Rio de Janeiro, where the Portuguese court had been operating in exile since fleeing Napoleon's 1807 invasion of Lisbon. Brazil was elevated to Kingdom status in 1815 precisely to legitimize this arrangement — making the monarch of a European empire a resident colonial ruler, a constitutional oddity that this coinage quietly reflects. The 640 réis denomination was rooted in the old Portuguese colonial accounting system, counting in multiples designed to facilitate trade with Spanish silver.
João returned to Portugal in 1821 under constitutional pressure, leaving his son Pedro as regent. The 1822 issues of this type were struck just months before Pedro declared independence in September of that year.