# Spanish Milled Silver Coin



## logueb (Jul 12, 2007)

Found this in the sand during the vacation week of the 4th.  Imagine finding a piece of history that ties in to the American Revolution so nicely during that week. At first I thought it was an aluminum cap or token.  I have not cleaned it.  What you see is just the way that it came out of the sand.  I looked up the history and here's what I found out. 
 This is a Spanish Milled Bust Coin dated 1789.  The legend on the obverse of the coin is CARLOUS IV DEI  GRATIA 1789. ( Charles IV King of Spain). The portrait (or bust) however is not of Charles IV, but of his father Charles III who died in 1788.  These were minted in the Americas with the incorrect portrait until new portrait molds could be made and shipped to the Spanish Colonies. The reverse legend is HISPAN ET IND REX M 2R F M. The M with a small o above indicates that this was minted in Mexico City  which was the first mint in the Americas ( according to the web).   The initials F and M are for the assayers, Francisco Arance y Cobos and Mariano Rodriquez who worked together from 1783-1807. The 2R indicates that this is a 2 Reale coin, which is 1/4 the value of a 8 Reale coin ( Eight Real Piece or coin) hence Piece of Eight.
 I also found out that the American Colonies under British rule were not allowed to mint coins.  They were also to pay for British goods with coins.  After the American Revolution, Spanish Milled coins were used in the colonies until a mint was strated in Philadelphia in 1792.


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## logueb (Jul 12, 2007)

Reverse


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## karenandgordonmyers (Jul 12, 2007)

great coin! its not in the red book .whats it worth? did you find it metal detecting on the east coast?


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## RICKJJ59W (Jul 12, 2007)

WOW!  Nice coin man!  Very cool,(whats it worth?)  wait  WAIT!!  Don't tell me!  I just like looking at it and I will read the history of it over again.[8D] Rick


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## logueb (Jul 13, 2007)

Karen, Found it during a bottle dig. Simply just fell out of the sand just the way it is in the pic. I was having to move about three feet of sand that was covering a thin vein of  early 1900 trash. I would slice the sand down into the pit and then shovel it out.  At first I thought it was an aluminum cap. I don't sift, but that may change after this find.  What's the Red Book?  I've never really been into coins.

 Rick, Yes I looked up the value, but  I can't retire on that.  So into the collection it goes. If you find any more info on it from your friend, please pass it along.


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## stonemason (Jul 13, 2007)

Believe it or not, those are a fairly common find in the fields around here in NH. We find them cut up into bits also.


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## logueb (Jul 13, 2007)

Thanks for the info Stonemason.  You just reminded me of a piece of info about the Spanish Coins that I had forgotten to post with the history.  The pieces of eight were sometimes cut into halves, quartered, etc. into bits.   The amount of silver in the cut coins would be worth 2 reales, 4 reales, 6 reales, etc.  The eight reale was comparable to the dollar so it is believed that is where the saying " 2 bits, 4 bits. 6 bits , a dollar" originated.


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## karenandgordonmyers (Jul 13, 2007)

the red book is a u.s. coin pricing book that goes back to colonial issues. its by r.s. yeoman.


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## GuntherHess (Jul 13, 2007)

I have found quite a few of these chopped up into peices. Pretty common in revolutionary sites. I also found many english copper pennies also chopped in bits which I thought was a little odd but I guess a penny went a lot further back then?


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## WindyCityBrian (Oct 22, 2007)

2 real -  common and in circulation until about 1850


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## Dansalata (Oct 29, 2007)

awesome find, ive never found one YET, but hope to some day WTG!!!


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