How to Identify the 5 Escudos

Start With the Two Faces

The fastest confirmation is the design pairing. The obverse must show a caravel, a small square-rigged sailing ship, ringed by the legend REPUBLICA PORTUGUESA. The reverse must show the Portuguese national shield, made up of the small inner shields (quinas) within a border of castles, next to the value 5$00. If either side does not match, you are looking at a different Portuguese denomination or type.

Read the Value Carefully

The value is written in escudo notation as 5$00, where the dollar-like sign is the cifrao (the escudo symbol) sitting between escudos and centavos. Read the numeral in front of that symbol before deciding the denomination, because Portuguese coins of this era, such as 2$50, use the same national style and a similar shield. The date, like 1981, appears in the design and pins down the exact year within the caravel series.

Confirm Metal, Size, and Feel

This 5 Escudos is copper-nickel, so it should be silvery-gray rather than yellow, brass, or copper-colored. It is a medium coin, roughly in the low-to-mid 20-millimeter range, with a solid feel and no magnetic response. A coin of similar design that is clearly yellow-toned, very light, or magnetic is not this copper-nickel type and is likely a different denomination or a later issue.

Rule Out Look-Alikes

Separate it from other caravel and shield coins by denomination and metal. Smaller escudo values and earlier or later Portuguese types reuse the maritime and heraldic themes, so the combination of a caravel obverse, a national shield with 5$00, copper-nickel color, and the correct size is what fixes this exact coin. Do not confuse the cifrao with a US dollar sign; here it is simply the escudo mark.

Authentication Notes

Because this is a common base-metal coin with no bullion value, deceptive counterfeits are rare, so focus on matching the design, metal, and size rather than metal testing. Genuine pieces show crisp detail in the caravel's rigging and the castles of the shield. The more frequent mistakes are misreading the denomination or mistaking the coin for silver, so verify the 5$00 value and the copper-nickel color before attributing it.