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Royal Diamond Administration Various Amounts
| Issuer | Royal Diamond Administration (Administração Geral dos Diamantes) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1771-1841 |
| Type | Local banknote |
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| Obverse description | Letterpress print in black on plain paper, with the crowned coat of arms of the Portuguese Crown positioned centrally at the top of the note. The body of the note consists of a pre-printed draft form stub, with manuscript entries completing the payee name, amount in gold octaves, place, and date. The text is set in period Portuguese orthography with the long 's' (ſ) convention throughout. |
|---|---|
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| Protection type | Embossed seal |
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| Comments |
The Administração Geral dos Diamantes was Portugal's state monopoly over Brazilian diamond extraction, granted exclusive control over the Diamantina district of Minas Gerais in 1771. These notes functioned as internal financial instruments within that closed economy — a restricted zone where the crown tightly controlled labor, trade, and movement. Ordinary commercial paper had no place there; these served a captive population of administrators, contractors, and enslaved workers whose output fed Lisbon's treasury directly.
The seventy-year span across which these notes were issued reflects the monopoly's surprisingly long survival past Brazilian independence in 1822, when Portugal retained administrative control of the diamond district longer than almost any other colonial institution.