While people are on the subject of Pieces of Eight,do the fractional coins have special names? I always refer to the 4 Reales as a Piece of Four,the 2 Reales as a Piece of Two,the 1 Real as a Piece of 1,the 1/2 Real as a Piece of a Half,& the 1/4 Real as a Piece of a Quarter.
Special names ? Well - not really, but they did foster a jingle that most everyone has heard and only a few know the origin - 2 bits, 4 bits, 6 bits, a dollar ................ They weren't known as pieces - they were known as bits. The quarter reale did not come along untill much later and because of this really doesn't qualify to be considered as part of it.
Shave and a hair cut?...Shave and a hair cut?...Shave and a hair cut? [Where's Roger Rabbit?] TWOooooooooo BITS!!
The 1/2 real was called I believe a Picayune (sp) and a two reales from Spain and not one of the new world colonies was known as a pistereen. (It wasn't two bits because the Spanish homeland piece was of lighter weight and a two reales of Spain was only worth 20 cents instead of the two bits 25 cents. On the cut parts of a piece of eight there was also the "short bit" worth 10 cents which occured when the person cutting the coin would slightly alter the cut angle in order to try and get nine or ten "bits" out of the dollar.
Well,I am aware that the Bank of England $1 (5/-) & the Bank of Ireland 6/- Bank Token were overstruck on Pieces of Eight.The Bank of England counterstamped some Spanish & Spanish-American Pieces of Eight & the occasional Piece of Four.The counterstamped $1's were put into circulation at a value of 4/9,& the counterstamped $1/2's at a value of 2/4-1/2 (2 Shillings & 4-1/2 Pence).Some Scots merchants also counterstamped the dollars, but they were more canny in rating them at 5/6 & 5/9 as well as 4/9 & 5/-.The Castle Comer Colliery in Ireland also counterstamped dollars,but these had a value of 5/5.
