Banknote Billet Brazil 500 cruzeiro Jean VI du Portugal 1943

Remarks:

Plis et salissures

This 500 Cruzeiros banknote belongs to the series issued by Brazil in 1943, referenced under the designation Estampa 2ª, Série 637A. It is part of the Brazilian monetary policy of the time, under the aegis of the Banco do Brasil, which then supervised the issuance of banknotes in circulation throughout the country.

The banknote is dedicated to Dom João VI, known as John VI of Portugal, a major historical figure in Luso-Brazilian history. John VI was King of Portugal and of the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves. His reign is particularly associated with Brazil, where he resided with the Portuguese court from 1808, fleeing the Napoleonic invasion of the Iberian Peninsula. This period profoundly shaped the political and economic evolution of Brazil, notably leading to its independence in 1822. The presence of his effigy on this banknote reflects the symbolic importance given to this pivotal period in the construction of Brazilian national identity.

The monetary unit used is the cruzeiro, which was introduced in Brazil in 1942 as a replacement for the milréis, as part of a monetary reform aimed at modernising and stabilising the country's financial system. This 500 cruzeiros banknote thus represented a denomination of significant value at the time of its issue.

In physical terms, the banknote has a weight of 1 gram, a standard characteristic of paper banknotes of that era. The designation Estampa 2ª indicates that this is a second printing variant of this type of banknote, which constitutes an important classification element for collectors and specialists, allowing the different issues within the same series to be distinguished.