5 Mil Reis BRA Banknote (Brazil Banknote Issue) 1932

5 Mil Reis Brazilian Currency (Issued 1932)

The state of São Paulo stood at the heart of Brazil’s economic output during the early 1930s, its coffee plantations generating the vast majority of the country’s export revenue at a time when the commodity dominated global trade. This note was issued in 1932 by the Thesouro do Estado de S. Paulo — the Treasury of the State of São Paulo — in the context of the Constitutionalist Revolution, a regional uprising against the federal government of Getúlio Vargas that saw São Paulo issue its own emergency financial instruments to fund the conflict. The denomination of cinco mil réis formed part of a series of bonds underwritten by the state treasury to sustain both military and civic operations during one of the most turbulent episodes in Brazil’s republican history.

On the front, the note is dominated by a central oval portrait engraved in fine intaglio style, depicting Domingos Jorge Velho, the seventeenth-century Portuguese-Brazilian bandeirante and military commander historically associated with the conquest of the Brazilian interior, whose name appears inscribed beneath the portrait within the oval frame. The portrait is rendered with considerable detail, showing a bearded older man in period dress, and is surrounded by the arched text “PRO-CONSTITUICAO,” a clear political declaration linking the note to the Constitutionalist cause. The overall colour scheme is a deep blue-grey ink on a pale pinkish-red guilloche background, with the large numeral “5” appearing in relief on both the left and right sides of the note in bold typographic form. The issuing authority is prominently declared at the top in bold capital lettering: “THESOURO DO ESTADO DE S. PAULO. BRAZIL.” The serial number Nº 782351 appears twice — once in the upper left in red print and once in the lower right, also in red, providing a clear identification reference. The lower section of the note carries a full Portuguese-language promissory text, stating that the bearer would receive five mil réis from the Thesouro do Estado de S. Paulo in accordance with Decreto Nº 6585 of 14 July 1932. A further line of smaller text along the very bottom references the note’s printing, identifying the printer as Melhoramentos de São Paulo (Wessel, Irmãos & Incorporado), S. Paulo–Rio–Saveira. The denomination is declared in bold serif capitals as “CINCO MIL REIS” in a central band beneath the portrait.

The reverse is printed in a warm brown tone throughout and displays an ornate engraved border composed of repeating geometric and foliate patterns, including rows of small oval motifs along the top and bottom edges and interlocking vine-like designs filling the lateral margins. The large numeral “5” appears in bold relief within decorative panels on both the left and right sides of the reverse. At the centre is a rectangular cartouche with a lightly textured background, bearing the multi-line inscription “BONUS / DO THESOURO DO ESTADO / PRO CONSTITUICAO / SAO PAULO” in capitalised serif lettering, clearly restating the constitutional and institutional purpose of the bond. The background of the reverse is filled with an intricate pattern of overlapping leaf forms and fine guilloche work, giving the design considerable visual depth despite the single-colour printing. The paper shows natural age-related toning and handling wear consistent with a note that circulated during the brief but intense Constitutionalist Revolution of 1932.

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