Having just read a fascinating article about the rise, dominance, and fall of the Mexican "pieces of eight", I thought I'd share the link. It's a very insightful perspective from 114 years ago, with a great deal of historical & economic information about centuries of silver coinage worldwide! The Quarterly Journal of Economics Vol. 18, No. 3 (May, 1904), pp. 321-356 https://www.jstor.org/stable/1884074?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents
Before ... After ... Great article! Thanks for sharing. Given the vast quantities of silver that were mined in Mexico and other Spanish colonies (Bolivia and Peru in particular), it is no surprise that there were 14 branch mints making the piezas de ocho reales in Mexico alone during the period that the Cap and Rays 8 reales were being struck (1823–1897). It happens again and again throughout history, though, that the mints spring up close to the mines where silver and/or gold are discovered (usually together). Kind regards, George
