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| The
most distinctive pieces of the collection (which is made up of about
6558 pieces, 1500 of which are shown in the museum) are the following: |
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Dutch
Obsidional Coins -
Minted in the palace, in 1645/46, under siege and strong pressure
by the Portuguese/Brazilian troops after being defeated in the Taboca
Battle, with gold having come from Guinea. Today they are absolutely
rare, mostly because the mercenaries who worked for the Dutch got
them, and on their way back to Holland, would trade them in for
regular currency, and the Portuguese/Brazilians that obtained them
in exchange for food, immediately had them melted, as possession
of these coins was the proof of treason, which was punishable by
hanging. The pieces shown at the museum proceed from the rescue
in 1970, of the safe of a Dutch boat which had sunk at the time,
on the shores of Itaparica Island. |
| Monetary
Endeavor TERRA SANTA CRVSIS
- It's the only numismatic piece to carry Brazil's primitive name.
There are only two specimens that are known, and the other one is
in the lot of Bank of Portugal. |
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Doubloons
- Minted
in 1724/27 by order of D. João V (during the peak of the gold cycle),
not only are they beautiful in their magnificent design, they present
almost 55 grams of gold, being considered the coin with the most
intrinsic value ever to have been dealed in the world. |
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Gold
Bars -
The gold ploughed in the mines could not circulate in the format
of powder or nuggets, which was considered fraud and punishable
by hanging. It was necessary for the results of the ploughing to
be taken to the casting houses in order to be "quinted" and then
minted or transformed in to official bars with all the seals that
attested to its validity. Today they are extremely rare and very
disputed in auctions, where they reach high prices. The Museum possesses
six magnificent specimens. |
| The
Cayenne Takeover -
When the Royal Family came to Brazil, fleeing from Napoleon, D.
João VI, in retaliation, ordered Cayenne to be invaded, capital
of the French Guyana. In order to celebrate this event, the coin
was minted in 1809, in England, a beautiful medal, which today is
considered to be the first Brazilian military medal. |
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Coronation
Piece -
When D. Pedro I was crowned on December 1st, 1822, coins were minted
with the purpose of contributing to the church, as was tradition
the Portuguese kings always did this on the day of their crowning.
But since it did not satisfy the Emperor and because it showed flaws
and inconveniences in its design, and also because there was no
more gold, only 64 specimens were minted and today only 14 are known
of. Due to its historical value, it is today the most valuable of
Brazilian numismatics, reaching the price of US$ 200,000.00 apiece. |
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The
Order of the Rose -
When D. Leopoldina passed away, the first wife of D.Pedro I, the
court and the people awaited the marriage of the Emperor to his
favorite mistress, the Marchise of Santos. Due to political reasons
and because the Emperor's feelings were already worn out, an emissary
was sent to Europe in search for a bride. The chosen one was the
Bavarian Noble Amélia de Leuchtenberg. Filled with emotion at the
arrival of his bride-to-be, D. Pedro I, when seeing her for the
first time, blond, blue-eyed and in a pink dress, in romantic ecstasy,
decrees the Order of the Rose, which would become the most important
citation of the Brazilian Empire. Exhibiting in its center the phrase
"Love and Fidelity", and on the reverse side "Pedro and Amélia",
it's a beautiful piece in enamel, gold and silver, which can be
seen in the Museum. |
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