PIECES OF EIGHT SPANISH SILVER DOLLAR

PIECES OF EIGHT

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One of the most internationally accepted coins

Pieces of Eight, as said by Long John Silver's pet parrot, is a coin also known as the Spanish Dollar.

The Spanish name is: Real de a ocho, Dólar, Peso duro, Peso fuerte or Peso. It is a silver coin of approximately 38 mm (1.5 in) diameter worth eight Spanish reales. It was minted in the Spanish Empire following a monetary reform in 1497 with content 25.563 g = 0.822 oz t fine silver. It was widely used as the first international currency because of its uniformity in standard and milling characteristics. Some countries countermarked the Spanish dollar so it could be used as their local currency.

The Spanish dollar was the coin upon which the original United States dollar was based (at 0.7735 oz t = 24.0566 g), and it remained legal tender in the United States until the Coinage Act of 1857. Because it was widely used in Europe, the Americas, and the Far East, it became the first world currency by the late 18th century. Aside from the U.S. dollar, several other currencies, such as the Canadian dollar, the Japanese yen, the Chinese yuan, the Philippine peso, and several currencies in the rest of the Americas, were initially based on the Spanish dollar and other 8-real coins. Diverse theories link the origin of the "$" symbol to the columns and stripes that appear on one side of the Spanish dollar.

The term peso was used in Spanish to refer to this denomination, and it became the basis for many of the currencies in the former Spanish colonies, including the Argentine, Bolivian, Chilean, Colombian, Costa Rican, Cuban, Dominican, Ecuadorian, Guatemalan, Honduran, Mexican, Nicaraguan, Paraguayan, Philippine, Puerto Rican, Peruvian, Salvadoran, Uruguayan, and Venezuelan pesos. Of these, "peso" remains the name of the official currency in Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, the Philippines, and Uruguay.

Millions of Spanish dollars were minted over the course of several centuries. They were among the most widely circulating coins of the colonial period in the Americas, and were still in use in North America and in Southeast Asia in the 19th century.

Gold was also used for coins, such as the Doubloon, Guinea and Sovereign. Other forms of accumulated wealth, popular with pirates, kings and queens, was and is precious gemstones, diamonds, rubies and emeralds.

Abraham Gray - Ships carpenter

Ben Gunn - Marooned pirate

Billy Bones - Former mate of Captain Flint

Black Dog - Pirate

Blind Pew - Pirate

Captain Alexander Smollett - Hispaniola captain

Captain Joseph Flint - Deceased pirate, owner of buried treasure chest and map

Dick Johnson - Is a young pirate with a Bible

Doctor David Livesey - Medical man and magistrate

George Merry - A mutinous pirate

Hispaniola - The sailing ship hired for the adventure

Jim Hawkins - Cabin boy

Job Anderson - Ship's boatswain

John Hunter - Squire Trelawney's manservant

Israel Hands - Ship's coxwain, mate of Captain Flint

Long John Silver

Richard Joyce - Valet to Squire Trelawney

Squire John Trelawney

Tom Morgan - Pirate friend of Captain Flint

Tom Redruth - Gamekeeper

Treasure Island was written by Robert Louis Stevenson, becoming an instant hit, popular with children and adults, the subject of many films and graphic novels.

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PIECES OF EIGHT SILVER DOLLARS PIRATES TREASURE ISLAND - BLACKBEARD'S CURSE AND PIRATES GOLD, SILVER AND PRECIOUS STONES

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