40 Réis - José I (Province of Minas Gerais; Pattern Type - Lisbon)

The 40 Réis coin of 1752 was produced under the reign of King José I of Portugal for circulation within Brazil, specifically destined for the province of Minas Gerais. This denomination emerged from a period of significant administrative reform in the Portuguese colonial empire, intended to standardize the currency used in the gold-rich regions of Brazil to better facilitate trade and tax collection. These copper coins were part of a broader effort to manage the immense wealth flowing from the mining districts back to the metropole.

The design of this pattern type, minted in Lisbon, reflects the classical aesthetics of mid-18th-century Portuguese numismatics, featuring the royal coat of arms and standard heraldic motifs. As a pattern, or 'prova', these pieces were intended to serve as prototypes for the coinage that would ultimately circulate in the colony. While these specific Lisbon-struck variants were designed with precision, they remain an important subject of study for historians examining how the Portuguese crown experimented with different weight and size specifications for its overseas territories.