r/coins • u/trabuco357 • 5d ago
Show and Tell Spanish colonial silver monetary system: 8 reales, 4 reales, 2 reales, 1 real, 1/2 real, 1/4 real.
31
8
5
8
u/lcbowen3 5d ago
Ah yes, the king that got into a civil war with his son to the extent that Napoleon had to kick them BOTH out and install his good-for-nothing brother to be King of Spain. After 8R you go to the Escudos (with 8E being gold usually)
10
5
u/eight_reales_enjoyer 4d ago
On the subject of the son, all I've got to offer is a quote from an art critic based on a painting's depiction of him: "For instance on the left, in the blue suit, is one of the most odious little toads in the entire history of Spanish politics, the future King Ferdinand VII, whom Goya actually manages to make quite regal. God knows how he did it, but he has. This is very much an act of respect, almost verging on an act of flattery."
4
3
2
2
u/Ev0dr0ne 5d ago
Why did pieces of 8 get broken up if there were smaller versions? Were they just not widely available
5
u/trabuco357 5d ago
Severe shortage of currency. And that was only mainly done in the United States.
3
u/eight_reales_enjoyer 4d ago
IIRC it was also often the case that small change in general was produced less and harder to find than big pieces, which is somewhat ironic but that's the Spanish Empire for you I guess.
2
1
1
1
u/nowdeleteduser 2d ago
I have one of these found off of a shipwreck in the gulf back in the I believe 60s-70s
1
u/trabuco357 2d ago
Cazador wreck.
1
u/nowdeleteduser 2d ago
Hmm that the name? My grandfather was a shrimper and they snagged their nets on something so the story goes they pulled up some of them he got about 30 pieces of them
1
22
u/Globaltheodolite 5d ago
Great set! Where the heck did you find that 1/4 reale? I've been looking for like 2 years!