Central Bank of Brazil
Dez Reais · Pedro Álvares Cabral · 500 Years of the Discovery of Brazil
Historical and Issue Context
A tribute to the V Centennial:To commemorate the 500th anniversary of the discovery of Brazil by the Portuguese navigator Pedro Álvares Cabral, on April 22, 1500, Banco Central do Brasil issued this commemorative 10 Reais banknote in polymer: the first of its kind in the country.4
Guardian™ Technology:printed on a bioriented polypropylene (BOPP) substrate developed by Securency International, a joint venture with the Reserve Bank of Australia (today CCL Secure); The Casa da Moeda do Brasil applied the layers of white opacifying ink on the transparent base, leaving the security windows free.5
A short-term experiment:unlike later generations of the substrate, this first version became brittle and was prone to tearing completely from a small notch on the edge, prompting Banco Central do Brasil to remove it from active circulation.6
Key Details Visible on the Banknote
- Obverse:portrait of Pedro Álvares Cabral, the map “Terra Brasilis” — one of the earliest depictions of the discovered land —, a passage from Pero Vaz de Caminha's letter to King Manuel I of Portugal, a 16th-century Portuguese compass rose, and five ships from Cabral's expedition.7
- Reverse:stylized map of Brazil composed of faces that represent the ethnic diversity of the country —white, black and indigenous—, along with the Cross of the Order of Christ, present on the Portuguese ships of the time.8
- Transparent window:translucent cutout shaped like a stylized shield; within it, a dark-red circular shadow image serves as a watermark, visible when held to the light.9
- Watermark:a sailing ship, integrated into the polymer substrate.10
- Tactile printing:raised intaglio ink allowing visually impaired users to identify the denomination.
- Color:orange and blue tones predominate over a multicolored background, with serial numbering in dark ink.
Additional Context
Brazil was one of the first Latin American countries to experiment with the polymer substrate, although limited to this short-run commemorative issue; the country would not adopt the polymer widely until later denominations of the Real family, within the global wave of adoption of the plastic substrate documented in the catalog of World Polymer Banknotes in this collection.
Notes
1. World Banknotes & Coins. “Brazil 10 Real Polymer Commemorative banknote 2000.”worldbanknotescoins.com: printer Casa da Moeda do Brasil (CMB); designer Tereza Regina Barja Fidalgo.
2. Numista. “Banknotes from Brazil.”en.numista.com: dimensions of 140 × 65 mm for the P# 248.
3. Numista, note #202403 and PMG Notes. “Featured Note of the Month: Brazil 10 Reais”: distinction between the variant P-248a (abbreviated name) and P-248b (Cabral's full name).
4. PMG Notes, id.: note commemorating the 500th anniversary of the discovery of Brazil by Pedro Álvares Cabral on April 22, 1500.
5. CCL Secure. Corporate information on the Guardian™ polymer substrate, originally developed by Securency International (now CCL Secure).
6. History of withdrawal from circulation documented by collectors and numismatic catalogs of Brazilian banknotes; Characteristic fragility of the first generation of the polymer substrate.
7. World Banknotes & Coins, id.: description of the obverse —portrait of Cabral, map “Terra Brasilis”, passage from the letter of Pero Vaz de Caminha, Rosa de los Vientos and five ships of the expedition.
8. World Banknotes & Coins, ibid.: reverse description —a stylized map of Brazil formed by faces representing the country’s ethnic diversity, and the Cross of the Order of Christ.
9. World Banknotes & Coins, id.: transparent window with a red circular shadow image inside.
10. World Banknotes & Coins, ibid.: watermark of a sailing ship.