Brazil: Coins Issued and Used
Showing all coin types.
| Information about what currencies were issued by Brazil, with lists of coinage, as well as periods when foreign-issued currencies were used. |
| Currency | Brazilian Real |
|---|---|
| Period | Brazilian Real |
| Used | 1994 - present |
| Description | The real (pl. reais) is the present-day currency of Brazil. Its sign is R$ and its ISO code is BRL. It is subdivided into 100 centavos ("Cents"). In Portuguese the word real means both "royal" and "real". The modern real was introduced in 1994, when it replaced the old currency, the cruzeiro real, as part of the Plano Real, a substantial monetary reform package that aimed to put an end to three decades of rampant inflation. |
13 products (1695 - 1934)
| Product Name | Mintage |
|---|---|
| Six Hundred and Forty Reis 1695 | unknown |
| One Hundred and Fifty Reis 1754 | unknown |
| Ten Reis 1786 | unknown |
| Forty Reis 1809 | unknown |
| Nine Hundred and Sixty Reis 1812 | unknown |
| Nine Hundred and Sixty Reis 1818 | unknown |
| One Hundred and Sixty Reis 1818 | unknown |
| Twenty Reis 1828 | unknown |
| Twenty Reis 1869 | unknown |
| Two Thousand Reis 1869 | unknown |
| Fifty Reis 1919 | unknown |
| Five Hundred Reis 1922 | unknown |
| Two Thousand Reis 1934 | unknown |
| Currency | Cruzeiro Real |
|---|---|
| Period | Cruzeiro Real |
| Used | 1993 - 1994 |
| Description | The cruzeiro real (plural: cruzeiros reais) was the short-lived currency of Brazil between August 1, 1993 and June 30, 1994. It was subdivided in 100 centavos, however, this unit was used only for accounting purposes. The currency had the ISO 4217 code BRR. The cruzeiro real was replaced with the current Brazilian real as part of the Plano Real. The cruzeiro real replaced the third cruzeiro, with 1000 cruzeiros = 1 cruzeiro real. The cruzeiro real was replaced in circulation by the real at a rate of 1 real for 2750 cruzeiros reais. Before this occurred, the unidade real de valor (pegged to the U.S. dollar at parity) was used in pricing, to allow the population to become accustomed to a stable currency (after many years of high inflation) before the real was introduced. |
| Currency | Brazilian Cruzeiro |
|---|---|
| Period | Brazilian Cruzeiro (third) |
| Used | 1990 - 1993 |
| Description | The cruzeiro was the currency of Brazil from 1942 to 1986 (two distinct currencies) and again between 1990 and 1993. In 1994 it was replaced with the real. The name refers to the constellation of the Southern Cross, known in Brazil as Cruzeiro do Sul, or simply Cruzeiro. Visible only in the Southern Hemisphere, the Southern Cross is the main astronomical reference to identify the south and is a common cultural icon in Brazilian history. |
| Currency | Brazilian Cruzeiro |
|---|---|
| Period | Brazilian Cruzeiro |
| Used | 1942 - 1986 |
| Description | The cruzeiro was the currency of Brazil from 1942 to 1986 (two distinct currencies) and again between 1990 and 1993. In 1994 it was replaced with the real. The name refers to the constellation of the Southern Cross, known in Brazil as Cruzeiro do Sul, or simply Cruzeiro. Visible only in the Southern Hemisphere, the Southern Cross is the main astronomical reference to identify the south and is a common cultural icon in Brazilian history. |
| Currency | Brazilian Real (old) |
|---|---|
| Period | Brazilian Real (old) |
| Used | 1822 - 1942 |
| Description | The first official currency of Brazil was the real (pl. réis). Its sign was Rs$. As the currency of the Portuguese empire it was in use in Brazil from the earliest days of the colonial period, and remained in use until 1942, when it was replaced by the cruzeiro. The name real was resurrected in 1994 for the new currency unit (but with the new plural form reais). This currency is still in use. One modern real is equivalent to 2.75 × 1018 (2.75 quintillion) of the old réis. |
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