Description and research notes
Issued 5 Reais note from Banco Central do Brasil, dated 2010, featuring the enduring Republica head vignette and a sea turtle reverse. Printed by Casa da Moeda do Brasil and signed by H. Meirelles and I. Goldfajn with prefix EB.
Catalogued as Pick 253d in the Standard Catalog of World Paper Money, this type formalized earlier unlisted varieties into the recognized numbering system. It belongs to the second-generation Real family, introduced to improve accessibility, fight counterfeiting, and harmonize design language across denominations.
The Segunda Família do Real combined traditional intaglio printing with offset background tints, embedded threads, and microprinting—technologies representing Brazil’s domestic mastery of high-security production after decades of reliance on foreign printers. The updated layout also reaffirmed national symbolism through consistent use of the Republica allegory, balancing continuity with innovation.
Together with its previously unlisted companion, this note documents the process of catalog standardization and shows how modern issues can transition from provisional identification to established reference, enriching both collectors’ knowledge and the historical record of Brazilian currency design.