São Tomé and Príncipe – Colonial Coins

The coins of São Tomé and Príncipe reflect Portugal’s long presence in the Gulf of Guinea since the fifteenth century, when the archipelago was settled and incorporated into Atlantic trade routes. For several centuries, circulation relied exclusively on Portuguese coinage, as the territory had no local minting. In the early nineteenth century, during the reign of Prince Regent João and later King João VI, the first coins specifically issued for São Tomé and Príncipe were struck at the Brazilian Mint in copper denominations of 20, 40 and 80 réis. Under King Pedro V, the law of 3 November 1854 introduced the small crown countermark, applied to both Portuguese and foreign coins to regulate the circulating currency. During the reign of King Luís I, bronze continental coins of 5, 10 and 20 réis dated 1868 to 1871 also circulated in the territory. Republican coinage began in the twentieth century and continued until independence in 1975, forming a diverse numismatic corpus that reflects the administrative evolution of the islands. Coins issued after independence can be found under World Coins, in the section Africa – São Tomé and Príncipe.