![]() Invasive Species A Plague On the National Park System.Groups Continually At Work To Acquire Private Lands Key To National Parks.Backlog Of Maintenance Needs Creates Risks In National Parks.Tackling The Maintenance Backlog In The Park System.Coping With 21st Century Wildfires In The Parks.Mixing Oil And Water At Big Cypress National Preserve.Not Enough Water And Too Many Invasives At Glen Canyon National Recreation Area.Colorado River Series-Canyonlands National Park.Special Reports Toggle submenu for Special Reports. ![]() Understanding Climate Change Impacts On National Parks.Get the Essential RVing Guide To The National Parks.Dollar became the offical currency of the American nation in 1785, it wasn't until 1857 that the "Coinage Act" outlawed the use of Spanish money for official transactions. This clever design made Spanish coinage the preferred currency in trade world-wide. If the ridges were flattened or missing, it meant your currency was not complete. ![]() The "milled" part of "Spanish milled" currency refered to the ridged edges that made it difficult for less honest folks to cheat other by actually shaving the valuable silver off of the coins. That’s equal to just under 5 British pounds today (Hint: there were 20 shillings in a pound, meaning the currency inflated nearly 10,000%)! In 1770, a Spanish 2-reale was worth approximately 1 shilling and 1 pence in the colonies. The 8-reale pieces were sometimes split into eight actual pieces of a whole piece of eight, if things weren’t complicated enough. Spanish currency in the new world was based on the 8-reale Spanish dollar, also known as the piece-of-eight. On each was written the amount of "Spanish milled" (or hard) currency it could be exchanged for at a later date. So soldiers were paid in "Continental Dollars," or paper promisary notes. For the new American nation, there was no monetary reserve waiting for pay the Continental Army. As there were mints in Mexico City, Mexico, Spanish currency was readily in circulation and easily obtained through trade in the West Indies. Spanish coins, like the 2-reale piece on the right, would have been very common as a universal currency, since the British colonists could not mint their own coinage and frequently ran out. Written on the front of this 2-reale coin is “Both together, one” in Latin, and “Charles III” on the back. It was recovered at the park in 1998 and is a now a part of the park’s collection. It depicts King Charles (Carolus) III of Spain on the face and a Spanish coat of arms with lions and castles bordered by pillars on the back. ![]() The silver 8-reales Spanish coin in the image above, was minted in Mexico City in either 1773 or 1777. And the only coin in the collection that was minted during the American Revolution is Spanish as well! The majority were found in the remains of soldiers' barracks. But what if we are talking about actual, historic currency, such as the handful of Spanish coins in the Fort Stanwix museum collection? In total, there were 51 various coins found in archeological excavations. soldiers in World War I, however, it suddenly accrues significant value. If we learn a deck was played with by U.S. For example, decks of playing cards are dime a dozen to us today. Of all the coins found at the fort, this is the only one that was actually minted (cast) during the American Revolution!Īrtifacts from the past carry a historical value much greater than their original worth. An 8-reale Spanish coin from the park collection.
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