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Message:: [QUOTE="Gallienus, post: 2206792, member: 42034"]Actually the coins are marked down not up.  Shown is a pix of an original 80 reis, 1828 Rio, in uncirculated.    <img src="http://www.coinsandhistory.com/pix_coin/Brazil/Bra_80_reis_1828R_1600px_both.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" />Following is an 80 reis specimen which has been counterstamped with a 40.<img src="http://www.coinsandhistory.com/pix_coin/Brazil/Bra_40_reis_1832R_counterstamped_both.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /> You can still see traces of the original "80" under the 40.  The counterstamps in Brazil are called "com carimbo" or "with stamp" in the price guides.  Usually they halved the value of the coin but for lightweight high value pieces sometimes made it 1/4. My understanding is that the coins were originally struck for circulation elsewhere: in some of the colonies but in order to circulate in Brazil, the value was too high; thus they had to be downgraded. I am having a terrible time obtaining historical info on the coinage history of Brazil.  The above came from "As Moedas Contam a Historia do Brazil, 2007.  Any good book references would be appreciated. The values vary: sometimes the counterstamped variety is more expensive but usually the original pieces are rarer.[/QUOTE]