Philip V 8 Escudos

Philip V's 8 Escudos were struck using gold primarily from Colombia's mines, a direct result of Spain's colonial plunder that fueled the Bourbon treasury.

This gold coin, weighing around 27 grams and boasting a purity of about 22 karats, represented a hefty sum—equivalent to a worker's yearly wage in 18th-century Spain. Minters in places like Madrid or Seville hammered out these pieces during Philip's long reign, often recycling metal from older coins to keep production efficient. The obverse typically showed the king's bust, while the reverse bore the royal coat of arms, a design that evolved as political winds shifted.

Exact mintage figures are murky; records from that era burned in various palace fires, so we rely on estimates from surviving examples. As for myths, I've heard enough about cursed doubloons to last a lifetime—they were just money, not treasure maps.