Portugal 1000, 2000, and 4000 Reis 1688 to 1821

The Portugese cross adorns these beautiful old gold coins, along with a crowned coat of arms. Inscriptions include the monarchs of Portugal John (ioannes), Joseph (josephus, iosephus), Maria and Peter (pedro, petrus), and Joao, depending on the date of the coin.

As with all valuable coins, one must be fully aware that counterfeits are prevalent in today's market.

The cross and crowned arms design is prevalent on Portugese coinage of the period. This page applies to gold coins. But there were many silver coins with very similar design. Copper coins generally use a different design.

A good deal of this coin's value comes from its gold content. Here are the stats you can use to compute the basic gold value of these coins:

1000 REIS: 18 mm diameter, 0.079 troy ounces gold
2000 REIS: 22 mm diameter, 0.159 troy ounces gold
4000 REIS: 28 mm diameter, 0.317 troy ounces gold

To compute the basic gold value, first go to a web site such as kitco.com and find the current price. Today the price is $1359 US dollars per troy ounce, but tomorrow it will be different. Look it up. Then multiply by the number of troy ounces in the coin. For instance, today's 1000 reis carries 0.079 x 1359 = $107 US dollars gold value.

These old coins carry a collector premium value over and above the gold value. If the coin is in good shape, with no problems and little wear, the premium is more than damaged coins or coins with substantial wearn. Here are approximate collector premiums for these coins:

1000 REIS
damaged: add $0 to basic gold value
average circulated: add $100 US dollars
fully uncirculated: add $300

2000 REIS
damaged: add $0 to basic gold value
average circulated: add $150 US dollars
fully uncirculated: add $400

4000 REIS
damaged: add $0 to basic gold value
average circulated: add$250 US dollars
fully uncirculated: add $600

Add the collector premium to the basic gold value, and you get a ballpark number for the coin. Dealers who handle these coins will apply markups during sales, and margins during buys. A 10 to 50 percent margin is completely reasonable for these old beauties.

There are some special dates which double or triple the collector premium. These are:

1000 REIS:
1713 when Ps, not flowers, appear inside the cross
1778

2000 REIS:
1706
1713 and 1714 when Ps, not flowers, appear inside the cross

4000 REIS:
1707
1717
1713 and 1714 when Ps, not flowers, appear inside the cross
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