The valuable coin collection donated by the collector Luis Filipe Thomaz to the Museum of Angra do Heroísmo in July 2021 includes a magnificent 24 Escudos Dobra, which now forms part of the Numismatics and Notaphily collection and can be admired in the second section of the exhibition Do Mar e da Terra… uma história no Atlântico, as part of the display Nine Centuries of Portuguese Coinage.
The 24 Escudos Dobra was commissioned by D. João V, absolutist monarch of Portugal between 1707 and 1750, who left behind a legacy of gold coins that reflected his magnanimity, financed by the Brazilian gold and diamonds that regularly reached the royal court during his reign.
Struck at the mints of Lisbon, Porto, Rio de Janeiro, Bahia, Minas Gerais, Mozambique, Goa, Daman, and Diu, these coins included the Dobrão, ½ Dobrão, Moeda, ½ Moeda, Quartinho, Cruzado Novo, Dobra, Peça, ½ Peça, Escudo, ½ Escudo, and Cruzadinho.
Among them, the 24 Escudos Dobra stands out as the largest coin ever minted in Portugal and one of the largest in the world. Its obverse shows the laureate bust of the king, while the reverse displays the crowned arms of the kingdom. The coin’s high technical finish, its reflection of a new aesthetic—the Baroque—and its remarkable weight in gold made it highly sought after both within and beyond Portugal. Only five examples are known, valued between approximately €175,000 and €225,000, according to Moedas de Ouro de Portugal by Javier Sáez Salgado.
Text | Carla Ferreira
