Philip IV 8 Reales

These coins, the Philip IV 8 Reales, often featured the Pillars of Hercules on their reverse, a design element that some say influenced the modern dollar sign through its global circulation.

That pillar motif wasn't just decorative; it symbolized Spain's imperial reach, with the coins struck from silver mined in the Americas and shipped across oceans. Workers in Seville or Potosí hammered them out on planchets that might have been recycled from earlier mints, ensuring a steady supply for trade. The dates range from 1621 to 1665, but exact mintages vary by assayer and year—some records burned in the 18th-century archives.

We don't know precisely how many ended up in the hands of English pirates or Dutch merchants, though plenty did. What’s clear is their role in the global economy, not the myths of buried treasure.

Every so often, I pull one from my collection and think, well, at least it didn't end up in a Hollywood script.