8 Reales, Mexico, 1805
date: label: date made
content: 1805
name: label: mint
content: Mexico City Mint
notes: label: Description (Brief)
content: One (1) 8 real coin
label: Description (Brief)
content: Mexico, 1805
label: Description (Brief)
content: Obverse Image: Portrait of Charles IV.
label: Description (Brief)
content: Obverse Text: CAROLUS III / DELGRATIA / 1805
label: Description (Brief)
content: Reverse Image: Two (2) pillars with shield and crown pictures of castle and lion on shield.
label: Description (Brief)
content: Reverse Text: HISPAN / ET / IND / REX / M / 8R / T / H
label: Description
content: This silver Spanish dollar (also known as an eight real coin or piece of eight) was minted around 1805. The obverse side of the coin has a profile portrait of King Charles IV. The coin reads “Del Gratia 1805 Carolous IIII,” (Charles IIII by the Grace of God, 1805). The reverse has an image of Spain’s Pillars of Hercules lesser royal coat of arms. The reverse reads, “HISPAN ET IND REX M 8R T H” (King of the Spains and the Indies, Mexico, 8 reales). The initial M is for the coins minting in Mexico City, and the initials “TH” belong to the coin’s assayer. This coin has Chinese “chop marks,” marks made to check that the dollar was made of the silver it was supposed to be.
label: Description
content: Spanish dollars were the monies of choice when coins were available in Colonial America, and Americans liked them so much that they eventually based their own U.S. dollar on the Spanish real. The uniform quality of the Spanish real made it a popular currency for international trade.
place: label: place made
content: Mexico
label: place of issue
content: Mexico
setName: label: See more items in
content: Work and Industry: National Numismatic Collection
label: See more items in
content: American Enterprise
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content: Coins, Currency and Medals
label: See more items in
content: Josiah K. Lilly Jr. Collection
label: Exhibition
content: American Enterprise
label: Exhibition Location
content: National Museum of American History
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Estate of Josiah K. Lilly
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: NU.68.159.2418
label: accession number
content: 283645
label: catalog number
content: 68.159.2418
objectType: label: Object Name
content: coin
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: silver (overall metal)
label: Physical Description
content: 0 (overall die axis)
label: Physical Description
content: 0 (overall die axis measurement)
label: Physical Description
content: struck (overall production method)
label: Measurements
content: overall: .2 cm x 4 cm; 3/32 in x 1 9/16 in