Brazil’s coinage runs from Portuguese colonial gold struck in Bahia and Rio (1700s) through the Empire’s réis system, the 20th-century cruzeiro/cruzado/cruzeiro-real redenomination cycles, and the modern real introduced in 1994. Collectors hunt colonial gold (6400 réis), the 960-réis “patacão” overstruck on Spanish dollars, and first-family real coins. This hub maps the full timeline, key series, and what to buy or flip.
Key facts
- Colonial era: copper coins in 5/10/20/40 réis; silver in 75/150/300/600 réis; gold in 1,000/2,000/4,000/6,400 réis; the silver coinage was reformed in 1778 (80/160/320/640 réis) and in 1809 old silver coins were revalued upward with Portuguese-arms counterstamps.
- From 1810, Spanish 8-reales coins (“Spanish dollars”) were overstruck to produce 960-réis coins — the classic “patacão”.
- Empire reforms: 1833–35 introduced silver 100/200/400/800/1,200 réis and gold 10,000 réis; 1848–54 brought silver 200/500/1,000/2,000 réis and gold 5,000/10,000/20,000 réis; bronze and cupro-nickel minor coinage followed from 1868–1886.
- In 1942 the real was replaced by the cruzeiro at 1,000 réis = 1 cruzeiro; further redenominations ran through cruzado and cruzeiro real.
- The modern real launched 1 July 1994 under the Plano Real (CR$2,750 = R$1); first-family coins were 1/5/10/25/50 centavos plus a 1-real, all in stainless steel; the 1994-only 1-real coin was demonetized 23 Dec 2003 after heavy counterfeiting.
- What collectors hunt: colonial gold (4000/6400 réis), 960-réis overstruck dollars, imperial gold, and varieties/errors in first-family real coins.