Asian merchants counter stamped the pieces of eight to certify them as authentic. History of coins twobits, fourbits, sixbits, eight. T was very little small coinage available and in order to make change smaller than the spanish dollar they cut the coin into pieces of eight or eight pieces. Apr 25, 2020 pieces of eight are historical spanish dollar coins minted in the americas from the late 15th century through the 19th century.
During its operation, the carson city branch issued 57 different types of gold coins and produced eight coin denominations, including dimes, twenty cent pieces, quarters, halves, trade dollars, morgan dollars, five dollar gold pieces, ten dollar gold pieces, and twenty dollar gold pieces. Its a great piece, very historical, it came with a smal pamphlet with some of the history behind it. Two of them, or two bits, were the equivalent of a quarter dollar. The legendary pirate coins known as piecesofeight were actually silver dollars made by native american craftsmen in mexico, peru, colombia and other.
Depicts a pirate with the words praedatum in mundo which translates into a. The change might be onehalf four reales, onequarter two reales, or oneeighth one real, also called one bit. The spanish coin known as pieces of eight was the most common coin in circulation throughout the colonies, but these were still too rare for the needs of the economy and were often exported. Discussion in ancient coins started by alde, dec 2, 2017. Dec 24, 2014 pieces of eight were legal tender in the usa until 1857. Depicts a pirate with the words praedatum in mundo which translates into a predatory world. Money, advertisers assure us, will let us buy our dreams. Despite the swashbuckling title of the book, cobs, pieces of eight and treasure coins is a compendium of carefully researched data on the early coinage of the hispanic colonies in the americas. Each spanish and treasure coin jewelry item is a unique piece of history. This is a wellresearched and scholarly effort and very likely to remain the most comprehensive onevolume work in its field for many years to come. How to verify the authenticity of atocha coins coin help.
Silver pillar dollars columnarios bust dollars bustos mexican silver coins and hammered coins. Each coin book we carry is designed to meet a specific customer need, whether its a general information book about the history of coin collecting, an official red book title, or a particular guide for determining the. Over 160,000 shipwreck coins, mostly 8 reales issues or pieces of eight, were salvaged along with numerous other historical artifacts. Apparently minted from silver, a piece of eight in 1600 was worth the equivalent of. Am i the only one who reads a history book then wants to collect coins associated with the period and history in the book. To make change for an eight reales coin, merchants would cut the coin into smaller pieces. Nov 27, 20 the spanish milled dollar was a term english speakers gave to the spanish 8 reales that was minted on a coin press from 17321826. Atocha treasure coins specializes in the sales of authentic atocha coins recovered by mel fisher from the atocha shipwreck, a spanish galleon lost off the florida keys during a hurricane in 1622. Today he is with the with the first truly global money silver pieces of eight. The silver coins were known as reales reals and the gold coins, escudos escudo the chart below shows the denomination of each coins minted. The spanish milled dollar was a term english speakers gave to the spanish 8 reales that was minted on a coin press from 17321826. As the coins of spain they were used across the vast spanish empire.
Pieces of eight were the worlds first global currency. Pieces of eight is the eighth studio album and second concept album by styx, released on 1 september 1978. Any 8 reales cob from any mint can be considered as a strong candidate for a pirate coin. But a whole 8 reale coin is called a piece of eight so does that mean that multiple 8 reale coins are pieces of eight or are pieces of an 8 reale coin pieces of eight or both. Best book on cobs readily available by amazon customer. Sep 25, 2010 neil macgregor is this week focusing on european encounters around the world between 1450 and 1600. Pirate money piece of eight replica spanish dollar the. Money, pirates of the caribbean, in fact and fiction pirate money.
Antiqued pieces of eight silver shield 1oz bu divisible includes coin capsule. Aug 15, 2018 twobits, fourbits, sixbits, and eight bits make reference to the eight reales silver coin of new spain and mexico. Americans were used to seeing prices stated in spanish dollars. A genuine spanish piece of eight from the early 19th century. Offered are 8 reales coins, commonly referred to as pieces of eight, and 8 escudos coins, often called gold doubloons, many minted at the popular new world spanish.
It is dominated by the machinemade milled pieces of eight known as pillar dollars and portrait or bust dollars that followed cobs at the various spanish colonial mints, in addition to their smallerdenomination counterparts minors, but you can also find various world coins at the end of the page. The ugly truth about 8 reales ngc coin collectors chat. One real was created by cutting the coins into eight pieces and was worth 12. Since the settlements in the new world were all possessions of their mother countries england, spain, france, portugal, and the netherlands, they did not have monetary systems of their own.
Apr 21, 2020 pieces of eight are the currency used in the video game puzzle pirates and in the monkey island game series. The most common piece of eight coin material is metal. Buy products related to coin pieces of eight and see what customers say about coin pieces of eight on free delivery possible on eligible purchases. It was minted in the spanish empire following a monetary reform in 1497. The ropes were so valuable that hangmen were even known to cut them into pieces for sale. Pieces of eight were spanish silver coins pesos that circulated along with other hard currency in the american colonies. Bright finished pirate pieces of eight coin necklace shiny pewter replica of spanish coin handcrafted in usa. The only known pirate shipwreck to ever have been found and excavated was the whydah, but unfortunately i do not have any of those to offer as those coins are difficult to come by. The most common coin used during this time was the silver spanish dollar, which. It was the largest of the silver coins weighing approximately one ounce. Twobits, fourbits, sixbits, and eightbits make reference to the eightreales silver coin of new spain and mexico. During the golden age of piracy, spain minted coins in silver and gold. The famous piece of eight was an 8 reale silver coin that had a distinctive 8 stamped into it.
Neil macgregor is this week focusing on european encounters around the world between 1450 and 1600. But some money, and especially coins, is already the stuff of dreams, with names that ring to the magic of history and legend ducats and florins, groats, guineas and sovereigns. Pieces of eight were legal tender in the usa until 1857 pieces of eight were the worlds first global currency. I have been using this book for many years and i must say that it is the best book about colonial silver coins there is. However, quarters were not needed in the first couple years the u. Buy products related to coin pieces of eight and see what customers say about. A replica spanish dollar presentation card pewter 98% ally composite and 2% tin maximum diameter mm 38 maximum thickness mm 2. In honor of the coins 150th anniversary, read up on how the nickel came to be minted. New world treasures specializes in the sales of rare authentic spanish coins, spanish colonial coins, shipwreck treasure coins, shipwreck artifacts, and ancient coin jewelry. To make change, the coin was cut up to resemble pieces of a pie. The spanish dollar coin was worth eight reales and could be physically cut. What are reasonable retail prices for atocha coins.
This book, the krause book, and sedwicks book together make a pretty complete library about cobs. The 8 reales, or pieces of eight, was struck at 27. This 1 oz silver round is styled after the original spanish dollar or eight reales coin. Pieces of eight is the eighth studio album by styx, released on september 1, 1978. These coins are commonly referred to as atocha coins.
Pieces of eight a history of the world in 100 objects. Deriving from the wide popularity of this book, pieces of eight is sometimes used to mean money. Pieces of eight silver coins bolivia 100 objects british museum. Cobs, pieces of eight and treasure coins covers the field in its entirety in both text and photos and diagrams as a fully professional work should do. Made of silver, they were in nearly worldwide circulation by the late 19th century and were legal currency in the united states until 1857.
I see a few examples of cutup pieces of eight sold online, but not many, and they are outrageously expensive. Each coin comes with a certificate of authenticity with history of the wreck. Because of the money loss, king charles had to sell the spanish territory to the french, who in turn, sold it to america. It was cut into eight pieces and that is w the piece of eight name comes from.
To make change for an eightreales coin, merchants would cut the coin into smaller pieces. Sometimes a book will trigger a coin purchase reflecting a specific event, person or place and at other times, a coin that caught my fancy causes me to track down a book about its history. The price shown is the average dealer retail price, excluding any sales tax, for an ngccertified coin in a standard holder with a standard. Thousands of collectible coins in stock quarters, dollars, coin supplies, proofs and more at wholesale prices. Feb 08, 2018 something you dont find every day of the week. Pieces of eight national maritime historical society. Gord nichols and john lorenzo plan a book on 8 reales counterfeits that will greatly expand on the topics of this post. Buy the pirate money piece of eight replica spanish dollar from the perth mint, featuring. As the coins of spain they were used across the vast. Included in the cedar chest collection are ancient greek coins struck from as early as 550 b. The spanish dollar, also known as the piece of eight in spanish. The gold coins were known as escudos and also came in a several denominations with the largest of these coins, the 8 escudo, weighing approximately one ounce. The early spanishamerican mints and their coinages 15361773. Unfortunately, due to their popularity and demand from coin collectors, counterfeiters have entered the market in an attempt to capitalize on their value.
In may of 1987, neil peart of rush recorded a flexidisc for modern drummer magazine titled, pieces of eight. Pieces of eight from spain, reals from spain and portugal, and shillings from england were in circulation. Spanish 8 reales, milled and pillar dollars coinsite. The eightreales coin became the most widely used silver piece in the world until late in the 1800s. If you want to see more of the things ive added to. The side of the coin that is often ignored, however, can be the key to spotting the fakes. If you just want to own a bit of history and arent concerned with.
Books on spanish colonial coins collectors universe. It is also called a piece of eight and circulated in the english colonies and. Familiar in books and films, from treasure island to the pirates of the. Spanish and treasure coin jewelry spanish coin jewelry. In 1993, fishermen in the gulf of mexico, snagged their net on the wreck. The dollar was divided into pieces of eight, or bits, each consisting of oneeighth of a dollar. You might feel like you need to be a wizard to choose the correct coin value books for your needs, since there are so many to choose from not to worry. There are also eight reales and pesos of the new world by carlos a. Rather than being a catalog of coin values, menzels 10 years of study on the. In 1873, the carson city mint experienced its most. Pieces of eight were legal tender in the usa until 1857pieces of eight were the worlds first global currency. The spanish dollar, also known as the piece of eight is a silver coin of approximately 38 mm. The atocha tragically ended her voyage on a reef of the florida keys on september 6, 1622, taking with her 264 souls many of whom were royal blood.
Pirate coins for me a true tale of pirates from 300. The word doubloon has its roots in the latin word duplus, meaning double, a reference to denomination of this coin worth two escudos. Instead, they resorted to using whatever coinage they could get their hands on. The spanish dollar also known as the piece of eight or the eight real coin is the silver coin, worth eight reales. Jul 23, 2018 the 8 reales, or pieces of eight, was struck at 27. S mint operated, in part because the spanishamerican coins still circulated, as they would through the 1850s. Without mel fishers famous cert, the coin is worth far less. Atocha coins, atocha treasure coins recovered by mel fisher.
By far the leading specie coin circulating in america was the spanish silver dollar, defined as consisting of 387 grains of pure silver. In around 2001, i visited a metal reclamation center in canyon country, california, just before they relocated. Under some circumstances one peso coins, worth eight reales, would be cut into slivers to separate those reales from each other. In fact, an eight real coin, for an instance, could be engraved into eight pieces worth of one real each. David bowers official red book guide to americas longestrunning coinage series. Etsy is the home to thousands of handmade, vintage, and oneofakind products and gifts related to your search. Dec 02, 2017 ive always been reading history and have found a symbiotic relationship between reading and buying ancients. Spanish dollars came into the north american colonies through lucrative trade with the west indies.
We also feature precious and semiprecious stones to tastefully adorn our highquality frames. History of the spanish doubloon northwest territorial mint. The term milled refers to the fact that the coin blanks planchets were made on a milling machine and were of consistent weight and size. Ive seldom seen any numismatic work provide as much detail on a particular coin series. While some sources downplay the coin cutting, saying its held to have been more. The ngc us coin price guide shows average dealer retail prices based on actual, documented transactions and other information reported by collectors, dealers and auction houses for ngccertified coins. If you just want to own a bit of history and arent concerned with the collector aspect, stick to the less expensive examples. It is the renowned piece of eight that became part of the spanish main pirate lore. As the coins of spain they were used across the vast spanish empire, stretching from south america to the philippines, but were also used. Shipwreck jewelry collection mel fishers treasures on. Pirate coins for me a true tale of pirates from 300 years ago. England forbade its american colonies to issue money. Yes there are problems with the book, but there is honestly no better book on the market. While some sources downplay the coin cutting, saying its held to have been more common than it truly was, it clearly happened.
A brief history of the nickel history smithsonian magazine. The spanish silver peso was a very common coin consisting of fine quality silver, assayed at. By modern standards, a piece of eight is a large coin, its about two inches 50. Contrary to the movies and books, the 8 reale coin was not normally called a piece of eight. Each of these pieces was considered to as a bit, which has a wedgeshaped piece of silver that is equivalent with 1 real in metal mass and monetary exchange rate. So two bits was a quarter, four bits was a half dollar and eight bits.
Pieces of eight are historical spanish dollar coins minted in the americas from the late 15th century through the 19th century. No matter what youre looking for or where you are in the world, our global marketplace of sellers can help you find unique and affordable options. Economic and nautical aspects are discussed as well as events in europe that influenced those developments. With her sinking, a full load of 90% silver pieces of eight and lesser denominations. These gold coins were eventually minted in four denominations, worth one, two, four, and eight escudos respectively. Pieces of eight is the eighth studio album by styx, released on september 1, 1978 like the bands previous album, the grand illusion 1977, it managed to achieve triple platinum certification, thanks to the hit singles blue collar man long nights and renegade.
The huge galleon served as the command ship, the captains ship or capitana of the 1654 south sea armada, and due to her size and stature, carried the bulk of the fleets treasure. I think we all as coin collectors want a bit of a connection to the past for whatever reason. Without potosi, the history of sixteenthcentury europe would have been very different. The spanish silver coin was so named because it was worth eight reals and at one time had an eight stamped on it.
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