1000 Brazilian Cruzeiros Banknote (Candido Rondon)

1,000 Cruzeiros Cruzado (Issued 1990)

Brazil’s monetary system was in a state of dramatic upheaval when this note entered circulation, as the country grappled with hyperinflation that had rendered successive currencies almost worthless within months of their introduction. The Cruzeiro, reintroduced in 1990 under President Fernando Collor de Mello, represented yet another attempt to stabilise an economy that had seen the Cruzado and Cruzado Novo rapidly collapse under inflationary pressure. Collor’s administration launched a sweeping economic shock programme — the Plano Collor — which included the freezing of private bank accounts in an attempt to drain liquidity from the economy. This 1,000 Cruzeiros note is a direct artefact of that turbulent transitional period, bearing the identity of an earlier denomination series while circulating within a country mid-transformation.

On the front, the note is dominated by a finely engraved portrait of Cândido Rondon, the celebrated Brazilian military officer and explorer who devoted his life to mapping the Amazon interior and protecting Brazil’s indigenous peoples, and whose name is printed in small capitals directly beneath his image. The portrait is rendered in detailed intaglio engraving, presenting Rondon in formal military attire, his expression resolute and his features precisely delineated with fine cross-hatched shading characteristic of high-quality security printing. The overall colour palette of the front is a warm golden-olive and brown, with the background carrying subtle guilloché patterning across the note’s field. To the left of the portrait, a scene depicts a traditional stilted dwelling set amongst trees and tropical vegetation, rendered in lighter engraved tones that contrast with the richer brown of the portrait. To the upper right of the portrait, a circular mechanical or technical emblem — possibly referencing telegraphic or cartographic equipment associated with Rondon’s pioneering work — is visible in fine-line engraving. The issuing authority, “BANCO CENTRAL DO BRASIL,” is printed in clear serif lettering across the top of the note, with the serial number “A 3569091031 A” appearing twice — once in the upper left and again in the lower right — in black numerals. The large bold denomination “1000” appears in the upper right corner, while the words “MIL CRUZEIROS” are displayed in prominent bold lettering across the lower portion of the note. Signature lines for the Ministro da Fazenda e Planejamento and the Presidente do Banco Central do Brasil are printed in the lower right quadrant, accompanied by their respective titles in small print.

The reverse presents a vivid and ethnographically striking composition featuring two indigenous Brazilian children depicted in close-up portraiture, their faces adorned with traditional tattoo markings or body paint rendered in fine engraved detail. The child on the left displays more elaborate facial markings across the cheeks and chin, while the child on the right, shown slightly in front, has a plainer face framed by straight dark hair with a fringe. The engraving captures the texture of their hair and the delicacy of their features with considerable skill. To the left of the portraits, an engraved composition depicts Amazonian fish and aquatic flora, including detailed renderings of river fish interspersed with plant forms, all executed in warm brown and ochre tones. The background across the reverse is filled with a repeating geometric pattern reminiscent of indigenous weaving or textile motifs, printed in golden-yellow and providing visual depth behind the central figures. In the upper left and upper right corners, additional geometric symbols — square spiral and cross-hatched forms — echo indigenous design traditions. The denomination “1000” appears in bold numerals in the upper right corner, and the words “1000 MIL CRUZEIROS” are displayed in large, bold sans-serif lettering across the lower portion of the reverse, printed in deep brown against the golden field.

Looking to exchange leftover currency? Your 1,000 Cruzeiros banknote can be sold to Webuyallcurrency.com alongside other old or withdrawn Brazilian Cruzeiros banknotes, turning spare money from a trip or collection into cash in one simple transaction.

• Indicate the quantity of 1,000 Cruzeiros Cruzado banknotes you want to exchange
• Click the ‘Add to your account’ button
• Your online account now shows the exchange value

Whether you want to sell foreign coins and notes or exchange leftover currency from past trips, Webuyallcurrency.com accepts Brazilian Cruzeiros banknotes alongside modern money and settles everything in a single, easy transaction.

Other Brazilian Cruzeiros you can exchange: 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 500, 5000.