Brazil Currency 10 Reais Polymer Commemorative banknote 2000 500th Anniversary Discovery of Brazil
Central Bank of Brazil - Banco Central do Brasil
In April 2000, in commemoration of the 500th anniversary of the Portuguese arrival on Brazilian shores, the Brazilian Central Bank released a polymer 10 real banknote that circulates along with the other banknotes above. The Brazilian Mint printed 250 million of these notes, which at the time accounted for about half of the 10 real banknotes in circulation.
Obverse:
- Image of Pedro Alvares Cabral, the Portuguese sea captain;
- A representation of the map "Terra Brasilis", one of the earliest drawings of the land;
- A passage from Pero Vaz de Caminha's letter to King Manuel I of Portugal, the first known description of Brazil;
- A 16th-century Portuguese Rose of Winds;
- To the right of the map, five ships from Cabral's expedition appear;
- In the background, decorative elements from Portuguese tiles can be seen;
- The white area around the red dot is actually transparent (the red dot is translucent);
- Finally, also in the background, the Cross from the Order of Christ, which was present in all Portuguese ships of the time, appears.
Reverse: A stylized map of Brazil with photographs depicting the ethnic variety of the Brazilian people (white, black, and amerindian).
Signatures: Pedro Sampaio Malan (MINISTRO DA FAZENDA - Minister of Finance) and Armínio Fraga Neto (PRESIDENTE DO BANCO CENTRAL DO BRASIL - President of the Central Bank of Brazil).
Size: 140 x 65 mm.
Printer: Casa da Moeda do Brasil, Rio de Janeiro.