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History rarely disappears completely. Sometimes it survives in documents. Sometimes in buildings. And sometimes it survives in something small enough to fit inside your pocket. Explore the real history, objects, questions, and discoveries that inspired the world of Further Beyond.
When most people picture the beginnings of American money, they imagine the first coins struck by the United States Mint. But for generations before a truly national coin supply existed, everyday commerce in North America depended on a mix of currencies from across the Atlantic world. Among the most trusted and widely recognized was the Spanish 8 reales a large silver coin that English speakers commonly called the Spanish milled dollar or piece of eight.
Few old coins have a nickname as recognizable as the “piece of eight.” The phrase immediately brings to mind treasure chests, sailing ships, pirates, and maps marked with an X. Yet the name was not invented for adventure stories. It came from a straightforward monetary system and from a silver coin that became one of the most widely used forms of money in the early modern world. The coin at the center of the phrase was the Spanish 8 reales. In the Spanish monetary system, the real was a unit…
When most people picture the beginnings of American money, they imagine the first coins struck by the United States Mint. But for generations before a truly national coin supply existed, everyday commerce in North America depended on a mix of currencies from across the Atlantic world. Among the most trusted and widely recognized was the Spanish 8 reales a large silver coin that English speakers commonly called the Spanish milled dollar or piece of eight.
Few old coins have a nickname as recognizable as the “piece of eight.” The phrase immediately brings to mind treasure chests, sailing ships, pirates, and maps marked with an X. Yet the name was not invented for adventure stories. It came from a straightforward monetary system and from a silver coin that became one of the most widely used forms of money in the early modern world. The coin at the center of the phrase was the Spanish 8 reales. In the Spanish monetary system, the real was a unit…
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