As of today (26), collectors can buy two commemorative coins for the bicentennial of the Independence of Brazil. The Central Bank (BC) today launched a silver coin and a cupronickel (alloy of copper and nickel) alluding to the date.
The silver coin has a face value of R$5, but will cost R$420. With a face value of R$2, the cupronickel version will cost R$34. Produced by Casa da Moeda, the pieces are being sold exclusively by site Medal Club since today.
“The two coins we launched today portray this historic moment that brought our country’s independence to an end,” said BC President Roberto Campos Neto during the launch event.
colorful detail
Although cheaper, the cupronickel version brought something new. This is the first coin in the history of Brazil with colored details on one side. The obverse (front) has a green and yellow stripe, accompanied by the first stanza of the Independence Anthem and has a face value of R$2. painter Pedro Américo, in the painting Independence or Death.
The silver version has a Brazilian flag on the front, accompanied by a face value of R$5 and the first stanza of the Independence Anthem. The back depicts the session of the Council of State, chaired by Princess Leopoldina and with the participation of José Bonifácio, which culminated in the sending of letters asking Dom Pedro to break with the Portuguese crown.
On the back of the silver coin, in the foreground, is the lithograph D. Pedro I: Emperor, by French artist Sébastien Sisson, which features a profile image of the emperor. In the background is the painting Session of the Council of State, by Georgina de Albuquerque.
The tributes to the 200 years of the Independence of Brazil are being coordinated by an inter-ministerial commission commanded by the Special Secretariat of Culture, of the Ministry of Tourism. In September last year, the National Monetary Council (CMN) approved the launch of commemorative coins.
The Central Bank usually releases commemorative coins to remember important dates and personalities. Among the pieces produced are coins in honor of pilot Ayrton Senna, coins commemorating the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games and the centenary of Japanese immigration to Brazil.
Although they are only intended for collectors, the coins can, in theory, be used as a means of payment in commerce at face value (from R$2 and R$5), if the merchant accepts, according to the BC press office. . The agency, however, warns that the production of coins is not intended for free circulation and that the use of commemorative pieces as a means of exchange harms the collector.
