August 17, 2017 – The Royal Spanish Mint has issued its first ever kilo silver coin dedicated to the European forefathers of the American dollar: the Spanish 8 reales coin, also known as the Spanish dollar or the piece of eight, and the European talers.
Spain / 300 euros / .999 silver / 100mm / 1,007g / Mintage: 1,000.
The obverse features a profile of H. M. King Felipe VI, surrounded by the first Spanish Columnario, the most famous typology of 8 reales coin; the Joachimsthaler, the coin that gave the type its name; and the Flowing Hair dollar, the first struck by the US government.
On the central part of the reverse, the Pillars of Hercules, that are part of the design of the 8 Reales coins, are reproduced, as presumed origin of the symbol of the dollar. Then, clockwise, four different talers are shown: a Dutch one, a Norwegian one, an Austrian one and a German one.
The coin comes in a wooden case with a booklet on the history of the dollar.
The coin is marketed in a deluxe wooden case that, apart from the kilo coin, includes a certificate of authenticity and a booklet telling, in English and Spanish, the history of the dollar.
For more information go to the website of the Royal Spanish Mint.
If you are interested in the history of the thaler you may want to read about a congress in Hall dedicated to that topic.
And in this article you can learn ‘What is left of the man who invented the thaler’.