Moidore

The Moidore's gold content, typically around 22 carats, was deliberately adjusted to compete with Spanish doubloons in colonial markets.

That made it a practical choice for Portuguese traders, who shipped these coins to Brazil and Africa to buy sugar, slaves, and spices. Struck in Lisbon from 1672 onward, the coin featured a simple design: the royal arms on one side and a cross on the other, with no fancy flourishes to catch the eye.

Variations in weight—sometimes as much as a gram off—kept counterfeiters busy, though records of actual production are spotty after the 1755 earthquake. We know some years saw thousands minted, but exact figures? Lost to time.

If you're handling one, note the edge is often reeded to deter clipping, a common trick back then. As for myths about buried treasure, I've dug through enough attics to say: most are just stories.