20 Réis - José I (Lisbon)

The 20 Réis coin of José I was minted in Lisbon during the mid-18th century for circulation within the Portuguese Empire, including its vast South American territories like Brazil. Produced under the reign of King José I, who ascended the throne in 1750, these copper coins were essential for facilitating daily commerce and minor transactions. They represent a period of significant administrative and economic reform in Portugal, overseen largely by the Marquis of Pombal, who sought to centralize colonial governance and stabilize the economy following the discovery of gold in Brazil.

The design of this currency features the royal coat of arms on one side and the value on the other, reflecting the formal heraldic standards of the Braganza dynasty. As part of a broader currency system that relied heavily on copper for base-level denominations, these coins were struck in mass quantities at the Lisbon mint to serve the needs of a sprawling maritime trade network. While these pieces were once ubiquitous in colonial markets, they are now valued by numismatists as tangible remnants of the transatlantic economic ties that defined the 18th-century Portuguese world.