Brazilian Coins

Part III - Republican issues 1889 - present

The background scene is Ave. Paulista in Sao Paulo around the time of 1896 - 1900


Brazil Empire
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Republic of Federated Brazil
(1889 - present)



The King was forced out, a military general took power and Brazil was proclaimed a Republic.


500 Reis  1889 one-year type
choice uncirculated
(Alex Siegel)		 These are exceptionally common in Brazil. For some reason the government didn't strike large crowns, but they did make these quarter-sized 500 reis the year the Republic was proclaimed. In Nov 1889 General Manuel Deodoro da Fonseca forced Dom Pedro II to Abdicate. A Republic was proclaimed. The Constitution was adopted in 1891, the year of the 1st Republican 2000 reis coins, which unfortunately, I do not have a sample of.

2000 Reis  1897
NGC-63, NO hairlines, friction, cleaning or damage
(Stacks-Bowers Auction)		 These were made for the payment of a debt to Great Britain which specified that the debt be repaid
in silver coin of the old standard. The 3 dates were 1891, 1896, & 1897. Of these only the 1897's were placed in circulation in Brazil. Nonetheless, full mint state speciemens of any date are scarce.
 f.

2000 Reis  1911
NGC-64
(Sedwick Auction)

Showing the effects of inflation the size and fineness of Brazil's "silver crowns" were lowered.

 g.


20,000 Reis 1900
uncirculated, NGC-63
(Daniel F. Sedwick Auction
# 14, Oct 30th, 2013, lot 146)
photo by Augi Garcia 		I am also looking for the 400th Anniversary set, issued in 1900, which includes a silver 4000 reis and smaller. These are surprizingly large in size.


1,000 Reis 1922
uncirculated, NGC-63
(Daniel F. Sedwick Auction
# xx, ?, 2018, lot ccc)
photo by Augi Garcia		 For the 100th Anniversary of Brazilian Independence in 1822 The Gov't issued 2000, 1000, and 500 reis with the conjugate busts of Dom Pedro I and Presidente Epitacio Pessoa. The 2,000 reis were silver and the 1000 and 500 were 91% Cu, 9% Al.

Unfortunately they misspelled "Brazil" on a significant # of these pieces causing the "BBASIL error".



 The silver coins were of course all hoarded and are common at street fairs today.


20,000 Reis 1922
uncirculated, NGC-62
(source)
This is the very last gold coin issued by the Brazilian Government. They also issued a 10,000 reis at the same time, although only made 6 of those while they made a whopping 2,681 strikes of the 20 K reis. At this time the reis was already devaluing and the gold was worth far more than the face value. This coin absolutely did not circulate as by the early 1920's, small .500 fine silver 1000 reis were being circulated with the 400 reis being copper-nickel.

The reis underwent hyperinflation and was replaced with the "Cruzeiro" on Oct. 5th, 1942.


1 Nuevo Cruzero, 1982
overstamped on 1,000 Cruzero Note
uncirculated,
(SNB Auction, 2015, lot )
(photo by me)
Brazil Empire
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