Portugal 20 réis 1892 - Charles I (Paris Mint)

The coin's story

This bronze 20 réis coin was struck under Charles I (Carlos I), thirty-third King of Portugal, who reigned from 1889 to 1908. The type was struck only in 1891 and 1892, partly in Lisbon and partly at the Paris Mint, which marked its coins with the letter A, below the wreath when present. The King's portrait is signed ALVES, for the engraver Venâncio Alves. According to Numista, the Paris Mint struck 658,000 pieces in 1892, against 15,411,000 in Lisbon the same year. Charles I was assassinated in Lisbon on 1 February 1908 with his eldest son, Crown Prince Louis Philippe, as the royal family was returning from Vila Viçosa. His second son succeeded him as Manuel II, and this regicide hastened the end of the monarchy.