Brazilian coins: flights, cruzeiro, cruzado, reais and centavos

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

Brazil is a unique country in terms of "money making". In most states, the name of the national currency is reverent, but in the largest country in Latin America, its name was easily changed.

Flight - first

Well, what do you want from a remote colony, where there was always a shortage of cash money supply? Now it seems ridiculous, but the first coin minted in Brazil was in 1652 Dutch guilders and stovers from the Dutch illegally trying to settle on these shores.

And the first de facto flights were the coins of different states that ended up in the hands of the Brazilians. Most of them were Spanish reals, so the plural form of this word in Portuguese came out - "flight". That is, "flight" is "reals". Foreign coins were made their own primarily with the help of overminting.

The first mint in Brazil began operating in 1694, and that's when the voyage began official history. In 1822, Brazil gained independence and completely separated from the Portuguese banking system: flights became completelylegitimacy, but their real value was very low. The currency has experienced several hyperinflation. It is not surprising, therefore, that flights with the Brazilian motto "Order and progress" (Ordem e progresso) did not exist in small denominations. There were eleven in total: 20, 40, 50, 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 1000, 2000, 5000. Inflation gave rise to the concept - milreys. This is a paper banknote - an accumulator of flights. 1 mile flight equals 1000 flights.

Coins were made from various materials with the desire to make their weight a multiple of the face value, that is, a coin of 2000 flights had to weigh 20 g and so on, but this was not always observed.

To the "stars"

By 1942, it became technically difficult to use flights. The zeros continued to grow. Therefore, the introduction of a new national currency - cruzeiro, became the basis of the denomination: 1000 flights (or 1 milreis) were exchanged for 1 cruzeiro. Also, for the first time, change coins of centavos ("hundreds") came into circulation: cruzeiro is 100 centavos. Denomination in cruzeiro: one, two, five, ten, twenty, fifty. Ten, twenty, fifty cents accompanied them.

Distinctive features of cruzeiro coins are the images on them of the stylized constellation Southern Cross (this is what the word "Cruzeiro" means), and on the obverse the contours of the map of Brazil.

Unfortunately, the "Southern Cross" was even more prone to devaluation and in 1967, as part of the next denomination in the ratio of 1000 to 1, it was replaced by the "new cruzeiro".

He came out all in banknotes: coinsdenomination in cruzeiro was not issued. A centavo: one, two, five, ten, twenty, fifty. Although, to be honest, it was only in centavo that this currency materialized. Old overprinted banknotes were used.

In 1970, apparently having saved up money for money, the state renamed the new cruzeiro back to cruzeiro. New banknotes and coins have appeared.

In the design decision, they were distinguished by a more ascetic look and a desire for modern graphics at that time. For a long time they were issued (their issue was suspended) in denominations of one, five, ten, twenty, fifty, one hundred, two hundred, five hundred cruzeiro, and centavos - one, two, five, ten, twenty, fifty. In connection with inflation, the small denomination gradually went out of circulation. And in 1984, centavos were completely canceled.

Crusado

The next 1000:1 denomination procedure in 1986 led to the birth of the cruzado. Historically, this is not a coin of Brazil, but an ancient Portuguese coin.

In monetary terms, these were steel coins, stylistically continuing the series of the last cruzeiros. Denomination: one, five, ten, one hundred cruzados and one, five, ten, twenty, fifty centavos.

New Cruzado

A wild jump in inflation already in 1989 forced the announcement of a new exchange of a thousand cruzados for one new cruzado. The new capital cruzados also had only 1 cruzado coin. Updated only centavo one, five, ten, fifty. Outwardly, they differed little from their predecessors. In the photo, a coin of Brazil 1 new cruzado 1989

Graphics and design preserved.

To the stars again

In 1993, the new cruzado was exchanged for the cruzeiro reais, which joined the family of Brazilian coins, in the traditional ratio of 1000 to 1.

The design of the coins has changed, and the "chip" of steel cruzeiro reals (denomination: five, ten, fifty, one hundred; centavos were not issued) was the obverse, which depicted endemics (regional species) of the Brazilian fauna. Here, for example, is the Brazilian wolf, "valued" at 100 cruzeiro reais.

Return to real life

In 1994, the Brazilian Ministry of Finance was apparently tired of toiling with exchanges, and the new one held a record margin of 2750:1. Everything again returned to the founder of the coins of Brazil - the real. It was for him that the new Cruzado was exchanged.

Probably the modern Brazilian real is the pinnacle of coinage for this country.

Two series of coins were issued. In 1994, unpretentious in design and steel (1 real, one, five, ten, twenty-five, fifty centavos) with the figure of the Republic on the obverse.

In 1998, the second series significantly differs with the same denominations for the better in performance and quality. On the reverse - the motifs of the Southern Cross, on the reverse - the faces of prominent Brazilians (well, or almost Brazilians, like the discoverer of Brazil, Pedro Cabral).

There is also a variety of materials, which was not typical for Brazilian coins before. Centavo 1 and 5are made of copper, 10 and 25 are made of brass, 50 are copper-nickel, 1 real is a steel core and a brass "shackle".

"Electricity" ran out?

In reals, one can literally feel with the hands and see with the eyes that the Brazilian economy has finally taken off. There are fears that the country will no longer please numismatists with novelties that used to happen almost exclusively due to inflation. However…

Did you see? Several dozen types of commemorative (on various occasions) reais have already been issued from simple metals to gold. In general, the Brazilians will still please us with their Brazilian real from without sad reasons.