peso de ocho

E151072

Peso de ocho is a historic silver coin of the Spanish Empire that became a widely used international currency and a precursor to several modern monetary systems, including the U.S. dollar.

All labels observed (2)

Label Occurrences
peso de ocho canonical 2
real de a ocho 1

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (46)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Spanish colonial coin
historical currency
silver coin
alsoKnownAs Spanish dollar
piece of eight
real de a ocho
basisFor Spanish-American monetary systems
early U.S. dollar coinage standards
circulationPeriod 16th century to 19th century
countryOfOrigin Spanish Empire
denomination 8 reales
designFeature Pillars of Hercules motif
linked to: Pillars of Hercules

legend in Latin or Spanish
royal coat of arms of Spain
linked to: Spanish royal arms
historicalSignificance one of the first truly global currencies
precursor to several modern monetary systems
influenced Chinese yuan
Hong Kong dollar
Japanese yen
Macanese pataca
Malaysian ringgit
Mexican peso
Philippine peso
Singapore dollar
United States dollar
linked to: US dollar

various Latin American currencies
legalTenderIn Spanish Empire
Spanish colonies
linked to: Spanish America
material silver
mintedAt Lima Mint
Mexico City Mint
Potosí Mint
various Spanish colonial mints
servedAs de facto global currency
standardPurity high-purity silver
standardWeight approximately 27 grams of silver
tradeRole key currency in Manila galleon trade
medium of exchange between Europe, the Americas, and Asia
usedAs international trade currency
usedIn Asia
China
Europe
North America
Spanish colonies in the Americas
Thirteen Colonies
United States (early national period)

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (3)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Spanish dollar alternativeName peso de ocho
piece of eight alsoKnownAs real de a ocho
linked to: peso de ocho
piece of eight alsoKnownAs peso de ocho