A Brazilian gold 20,000 reis, Minas Gerais, of Joao V, 1727

Some coins seem to have been created to immediately catch the eye, to command center stage by their sheer magnitude. This is one such coin, which was clearly not intended for everyday use. To the contrary, its creation is a product of the time in Brazil, in the state of Minas Gerais, in southeastern Brazil, where gold was being extracted in the rivers, streams and fields in unprecedented amounts in the 1720s.




Lisbon and the Tagus River, 1572

In terms of natural resources, Brazil was gold rich and silver poor. Gold poured out of Portugal's colony as a virtual river to Lisbon, much the same way silver and gold flowed to Spain from her colonies to Seville, Vigo and beyond. The gold and silver from the New World played a large part in financing the economic growth and power of Europe, filling the coffers not only of Spain and Portugal, but also the coffers of governments and banks in the United Provinces, France, Belgium, England and Italy throughout the 17'th and 18'th centuries. By the 19'th century the flow continued with gold and silver from the newly independent Latin American republics.



The town of Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, Brazil, an UNSECO Historical Center

The gold rush in Minas Gerais started in the 1690s, when gold was discovered on the Cuiaba River and surrounding fields, creating the gold producing area and town of Ouro Preto (Portuguese for black gold). This was a significant discovery, resulting in 800 metric tons of gold sent from Minas Gerais to Portugal in the 18th century.

As with any exploitation of mineral resources in these times, African slaves were used to dig and pan the gold bearing sands in mosquito-infested fields. There was also conflict between the miners and local indigenous people, notably the Payagua.



African slaves panning for gold late 18th - early 19th century, Brazil

This coin came to me by way of World-Wide Coins of California, from the November 1992 auction. As a longtime resident of the collection, it is by far the largest and heaviest gold coin, coming in at 53.50 grams, with a fineness of 0.9170. Minas Gerais minted gold coins in denominations of 2,000, 4,000, 10,000 and 20,000 reis from 1724 to 1727.

Brazil, 1727
20,000 reis
Joao V
Minas Gerais
Obverse: IOANNES • V • D • G • PORT • ET • ALG • REX, central crowned shield of Portugal, vertical 20000 left, five vertical florets right.
Reverse: IN HOC SIGNO VINCES, central Portuguese cross with four M's in quadrants, date above.
KM 117; FR 3; Gomes-38.04; Russo-251.




So, please post your gold coins, or any other coins, and of course your comments!

Thanks!

 

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Well, all I have are Sovereigns, yours are very nice. I see Gold is rising….

 

Very nice examples, especially the Australian 1916 sovereign!

Is that a Melbourne or Sidney coin?

Edit: I see the "S" on the slab, so it is obviously a Sidney sovereign.

 

Awesome coin. Very impressive piece.

 

Nice 20000 Reis! Congratulations on a beautifull example.

I am after a MS one for my collection/ I also need the 10000 Reis

Here are a few of mine....

 

Thanks This is a raw coin - never slabbed. It was sold as a choice XF, which is probably quite conservative these days. For the time that I have owned this coin, it has been stored in a poly-liner in a paper 2x2 envelope, so it really hasn't had a chance to tone from the time I acquired it. Of course, given the high gold content, I doubt that the color would change a whole lot anyways.

Gorgeous examples, as usual!

Are you collecting these coins as type coins or are you attempting to assemble them by ruler/denomination/date/mint?

 

Having Lived in Minas Gerais Brazil in the 70's, I was able to visit Ouro Preto a few times. Thank you for bringing back the memories of this beautiful place!

 

Thanks. I would love to visit Ouro Preto, Brazil and Cartagena, Colombia, but doubt I'll even do that now.

 

Very beautiful example @robinjojo !
I don't have any gold like that...but I have his tiny silver cousin:

1706-1750
100 Reis
Obverse: Crown above value (LXXX). IOANNES·V·D·G·PORT·ET·ALG·REX
LXXX
Translation: John (João) V, by the grace of God, of Portugal and of the Algarves King.
Reverse:
Cross with quatrefoils in angles, IN✤HOC✤SIGNO✤VINCES✤
Translation: In this sign thou shalt conquer

Ugly picture from years ago. Need to update it.

 

Wow. Impressive coin, and thank you for the write-up!

 

I think yours is MS-63/64. Seems most European/ UK raw graded EF/ Vorz./ Spl. end up as 63/64s when TPG. Most are heavily bagmarked, yours is pristine quality.
No, I am just collecting for the sheer fun, no rhyme or reason. Only thing that I am fussy about is the quality/ eye appeal.

 

robinjojo, Your 20,000 reis coin is a beauty & appears to be mint state ! I won a 1727, 20,000 reis coin nearly 12 years ago from a Heritage auction pictured below. I paid $7,343.75 for my coin & sold it that same year for a $2,000 profit .

 

That's and exquisite coin, Al. I can see how you easily turned a quick profit on it.

I've been thinking about sending my coin to NGC, but I just have a natural resistance to doing that. Perhaps that will happen down the road when the collection is broken up by me, or my estate conservator, who knows?

 

The 20,000 reis coin is beautiful!

Portugal also minted gold coins with the portrait of the king on them.


Portugal Brazil 12,800 Reis 1732-M (Minas Gerais)
Gold, 38mm, 28.58gm, AGW 0.8424oz (actual gold weight in troy ounces)

Obverse: King João (John) V laureate head right, IOANNES V DG PORT ET ALG REX
Reverse: Portugal arms on crowned ornate shield

These large coins were called "Dobras", made in Brazil from 1727 to 1733, and had a value close to the Spanish eight Escudo coin or "Doubloon".

They were known in the American colonies and other places as "Joes" from Johannes, the name of the king in Latin. They were mentioned in almanacs of the period and US Continental Congress foreign coin valuations, and were also a favorite of pirates.

This one was minted in the mining town of Vila Rica (Rich Village), now known as Ouro Preto (Black Gold), in the state of Minas Gerais (General Mines) which was the gold mining region north of Rio de Janeiro. The Vila Rica mint operated only from 1724 to 1734.

The large coins were made to keep up with the gold being produced in the Brazilian mining area Likewise, the United States started making twenty-dollar gold coins in 1849 to handle the gold produced in California.

These coins were twice the size of the more common Portugal Brazil 6,400 reis coins known as "Half Joes", one of the most circulated gold coins of early America.

Random notes:

I visited Ouro Preto in 1981, the place where my coin was made.


Ouro Preto, Brazil

 

I had a bunch of coins from Uruguay, Argentina, Paraguay, and Brazil, from my stay down south for 2 years. However, when my wife kicked me out, she threw away all of my stuff that I didn't take with me and then she changed the locks.
I really get a kick out of the coins that you show us. Thanks.

 

Man, you had a really mean wife We all feel bad for you....

 

I would keep it raw in 2X2 SAFLIP/ Künker had a NGC MS-63 same coin as yours/ their grade Vorz. (EF)
I would grade yours as MS-64. With CRISPR tech/ we may solve ageing/ keep on collecting....

 

Thank you.

That's a beautiful dobra! I have not ventured too far into the gold coinage due to budget constraints and shifting interests. The only other gold coin that I have is a 6,400 reis that needs to be photographed. But, I certainly wouldn't mind adding a wonderful coin such as yours, to be sure!

For a few years I concentrated on Brazilian colonial silver coinage, notably the 300, 600, 640 and 960 reis coins. The silver coins were expensive enough, due to the healthy demand for these coins by Brazilian and other collectors. I particularly focused on the 600 reis "J" type and the 640 reis of Pernambuco. I was actually fortunate to purchase a 1702 P 640 reis from a Brazilian collector/dealer through Mercado Livre about 20 years ago. As part of the organization of the collection, I need to pull these coins and photograph them. Maybe this thread will give me the motivation to do that.

 

I agree. But on the other hand a slab would protect the coin from mishandling and other mishaps, assuming that it remains in the slab. I sometimes worry about things like that, particularly with something as large and made of such soft metal as the 20,000 reis, or any other gold coin for that matter.

 

Sorry about your breakup and the loss of those coins. I hope there wasn't anything of value. Bad things happen in the heat of the moment.