75 Réis - 2 Vinténs of gold Royal Gold Foundry Houses, 1st. Print

In 1808, the Portuguese Crown was in crisis — the royal family had fled Lisbon ahead of Napoleon's invasion and was sailing to Brazil. The Casas da Fundição do Ouro da Capitania de Minas Gerais issued these notes as fiduciary instruments representing specific gold values held at the foundry houses, a system designed to reduce the physical movement of gold dust and bullion across the colony's dangerous interior roads. The 75 Réis denomination corresponds to exactly 2 vinténs in gold — the dual designation was deliberate, bridging the colonial gold accounting system with the réis currency used in everyday commerce.

Francisco Antônio da Silva's engraving credit makes this one of the earliest Brazilian paper issues with a documented engraver by name.