Brazilian real (old)

The first official currency of Brazil was the real (pronounced [ʁeˈaw]; pl. réis), with the symbol 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.

Brazilian real
real (Portuguese)
500 réis Treasury note from 1880
Unit
Pluralréis
SymbolRs$
Denominations
Superunit
1000mil réis
1,000,000conto de réis
Banknotes
Freq. used500, 1$000, 2$000, 5$000, 10$000, 20$000, 50$000, 100$000, 200$000, 500$000
Rarely used30$000, 1:000$000 (conto de réis)
Coins
Freq. used20, 50, 100, 200, 400, 1$000, 2$000
Rarely used40, 80, 300, 320, 960
Demographics
Date of withdrawal1 November 1942
Replaced byCruzeiro (1st version)
User(s)Empire of Brazil
United States of Brazil (First Brazilian Republic and Vargas Dictatorship)
Issuance
Central bankThesouro Nacional
PrinterAmerican Bank Note Company
MintCasa da Moeda do Brasil
Valuation
Inflation1.5% (1880)
41% (1890)
13% (1900)
6% (1930)
SourceConsumer price index
This infobox shows the latest status before this currency was rendered obsolete.

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.

The name comes from the Portuguese word real (in the sense of "royal" or "regal") and was borrowed from a Portuguese currency previously used in Brazil.

The dollar-like sign in the currency's symbol (and in the symbols of all other Brazilian currencies), called cifrão in Portuguese, was always written with two vertical strokes () rather than one.

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