“Chop marked” coins are artifacts of the old trade between East and West, going back as far as a quarter-millennium before the present day: silver “trade dollars” from the West that circulated in China, where merchants punched characters in their surfaces to verify their silver contents when they changed hands. In the modern collectors’ market, these chop marks — long seen as simply being flaws — are taking on a new significance as evidence of incredible backstories and lengthy historical journeys of the coins that carry them, making them affordable investments with the potential to rise substantially in future value as genuinely antique collectibles. A great example is the 8 Reales Spanish Empire Bust Type Silver Coin, now available from Provident Metals.

Coin Highlights:

• Arrives in a protective plastic flip-cap container!
• Historic coinage with dates of issue across more than half a century!
• Limited supply, featuring authentic historic chop marks!
• Contains 24.4 grams (just under 1 Troy ounce) of Silver.
• Features a classic Spanish dollar design with a face value of 8 Reales.
• The obverse side features the bust of a Spanish monarch.
• The reverse features Spain’s coat of arms.

The 8 Reales Spanish Empire Bust Type Silver Coin is available to you in a protective plastic flip-cap container, with each shipment fully insured against even the most remote chance of mishap in transit by the team at Provident Metals. These coins come from a range of dates spanning some fifty-four years from the late 18th to the early 19th centuries.

Obverse & Reverse

The influential Spanish dollar or “piece of eight” coin has an iconic design that’s easily recognizable on these coins. The obverse side features the bust of a monarch — often, but not always, King Charles V — and the Spanish coat of arms dominates the reverse. Pieces will show the extensive wear of centuries of circulation along with the “chop marks” of Asian trade: the traces of their history that now make them special.

History

The Spanish dollar or “piece of eight” coin is one of the most influential currencies in world history, in many ways the first standardized international coinage of the modern era. Its design directly influenced coinage across Europe and the Americas — including the American silver dollar — and subsequently transformed coinage in Asia when it was first approved for circulation in China in the late 18th century. In that market, it was a pioneering example of the “trade dollar” and of the interface between very different cultures: Asian merchants and bankers didn’t set any stock in a foreign coin’s face value, and opted to verify its contents independently using the system that would become known to the West as “chop marks.”

Ordering

Contact Provident Metals today to learn more about investing, or about any of our items. Call us at 800-313-3315, send us an e-mail inquiry, or chat with us live online.