500 Brazilian Cruzeiros Banknote (Dom Joao Vi Green Type)

500 Cruzeiros Mil Reis (Issued 1949)

In the late 1940s, Brazil’s economy was deeply intertwined with its dominant coffee exports, which generated the foreign exchange revenues that underpinned the country’s monetary system and financed the import of manufactured goods from Europe and North America. The Cruzeiro, which had replaced the Mil Réis in 1942, was the currency through which these vast commercial flows were settled, and high-denomination notes such as this 500 Cruzeiros example would have circulated among merchants, banks, and government institutions engaged in Brazil’s rapidly expanding post-war trade. The Tesouro Nacional, or National Treasury, stood as the sovereign authority behind the issue, reflecting the centralised fiscal management of the Estado Novo era and its aftermath. This note belongs to the Estampa 2a, Série 80A series, placing it firmly within the transitional Republican issues of the late 1940s.

On the front, the note is dominated by an imposing central vignette featuring a finely engraved intaglio portrait of Dom João VI, the Portuguese king who famously transferred the royal court to Brazil in 1808, whose image became one of the most recognised on Brazilian currency of this era. The portrait depicts him in formal military dress uniform, adorned with decorative epaulettes and medals, rendered with exceptional detail in the deep brown and dark olive tones characteristic of high-quality intaglio printing of the period. The central oval portrait medallion is framed by elaborate guilloché scrollwork that fans outward in symmetrical lobes to both the left and right, creating the distinctive bilobed design that fills the majority of the note’s face. The denomination numeral “500” appears prominently in red on each of the two guilloché lobes, and additionally in smaller form at the lower left corner. The heading “REPÚBLICA DOS ESTADOS UNIDOS DO BRASIL” is set in bold serif capitals across the very top of the note, below which the text “SE PAGARÁ AO PORTADOR” and “DESTA A QUANTIA DE” flank the central legend “NO THESOURO NACIONAL.” The serial number Nº 017920 appears in red at the lower left, and a second matching serial number Nº 016920 is printed in red at the upper right. The stamp designation “ESTAMPA 2a SÉRIE 80A” appears twice, once at the upper right and once at the lower right. At the very foot of the note, the full denomination is spelled out in bold capitals as “QUINHENTOS CRUZEIROS,” with a further line of smaller text beneath. The overall colour palette of the front is a warm brown and ochre on cream-white paper, with the red serial numbers providing a deliberate contrast for security purposes. A manuscript signature is visible across the central portrait area, consistent with an authorising official’s signature applied to the note.

The reverse is printed in a deep olive-brown and dark grey palette, presenting a richly detailed allegorical engraving at its centre. The central scene depicts a seated classical female allegorical figure, helmeted and robed, resting in a commanding pose with what appears to be a large anchor or maritime instrument to her right, and a tall-masted sailing vessel rendered in the background to the left, evoking the theme of maritime exploration and the opening of Brazil’s ports — a scene captioned at the lower centre as “ABERTURA DOS PORTOS.” The figure holds what appears to be a book or document, suggesting learning or law alongside the maritime theme. The engraving is executed in fine cross-hatched intaglio work, giving the scene considerable tonal depth. To either side of this central vignette, large symmetrical guilloché panels repeat the denomination numeral “500” in three positions on each side — at the top corners, mid-sides, and lower corners — set within ornate geometric lattice patterns. The legend “REPÚBLICA DOS” appears in the upper border, and “ESTADOS UNIDOS DO BRASIL” is set in bold serif capitals across the lower border. At the very foot of the reverse, the printer’s imprint reads “THOMAS DE LA RUE & COMPANY, LIMITED LONDON,” confirming the note was produced by the renowned British security printer whose work is recognised for its precision and durability.

Looking to exchange leftover currency? Your 500 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 500 Cruzeiros Mil Reis 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, 1000, 5000.