This silver Spanish dollar (also known as an eight real coin or piece of eight) was minted around 1821. The obverse, or front, of the coin has a profile portrait of King Ferdinand the VII. The coin ...

Fact checked by Vikki Velasquez The dollar sign ($) is one of the most recognized currency symbols in the world. But where did this familiar emblem come from? It's believed to have originated from ...

Surprising as it may sound, there once was a time that our coinage system, backed by gold and silver, was mostly supplied by Spain and countries under Spanish rule, such as Mexico, Chile, Bolivia ...

The phrase "two bits" came from the Spanish dollar, i.e. a bit was a silver piece of the silver Spanish dollar coin. Thus, two bits is a quarter (25 cents).

The Spanish silver dollar, or reale as it was originally known, was unusual because it prospered as a trade currency while Spain, its nation of origin, declined. In addition, it was adopted in ...