Tostão - Pedro II King's crown, Lisbon mint

The tostão denomination had circulated in Portugal since the sixteenth century, but by Pedro II's reign the crown's finances were under severe strain from the War of the Spanish Succession and decades of costly colonial administration. Silver supplies from Brazil were increasingly irregular, and the Lisbon mint operated under persistent pressure to maintain output against fluctuating metal deliveries from across the Atlantic.

Gomes distinguishes two varieties within this type — P2 43 and P2 44 — differentiated by subtle die details that reflect the realities of a mint working across nearly two decades of continuous production under the same monarch.