Portuguese Real

About Portuguese Real

The currency of Portugal for over 600 years. Originally a silver coin minted in the 1380s. The real circulated alongside the Portuguese moidore and the crusado. Portuguese reals were used in Brazils colonial period. By the 1800s, the real had depreciated to tiny copper coins worth almost nothing individually. The milreis, worth 1,000 reals, became the standard unit. The Portuguese real was retired in 1911 in favor of the escudo.