10 Escudos 1952 Portugal

This 1952 10 Escudos coin was one of the first in Portugal to use aluminum-bronze, a savvy switch from pre-war silver that helped stretch the budget in a recovering economy.

That material choice came from the Lisbon Mint, where they pressed out over a million pieces to replace worn escudo notes. The obverse shows the Portuguese coat of arms, all shields and navigation symbols, while the reverse keeps it simple with the denomination and date. No grand portraits here, just functional design for everyday use.

I've seen plenty of these over the years, and they're often mistaken for rarities. The truth is, most circulated widely and show wear accordingly. Mintage figures? Those records might have burned in some archive fire decades ago, so let's not pretend otherwise.

Plenty of collectors overlook it for shinier finds. Then again, that's their loss.