Replica Spanish Reales

About: These coins are sterling silver replicas of Spanish reales, which were used as legal currency in the United States until just before the Civil War. Replicas are available for 1-real (pronounced ray-awl), 2-reales and 8-reales coins. These are excellent for decorating tomahawks, straps, horns, etc., without using up real antique coins. Many reenactors carry a few of these in their pockets.  All of these coins, including the large 8-reales coins, the famous “pieces of eight,” are also great for jewelry.  (Think of the necklace worn by Keira Knightley’s character in Pirates of the Caribbean.)

Specifications:  The following replica coins and dates are available:

1-real coins (about the size of a US nickel, but a lot thinner): 1780 & 1755

2-reales coins (about the size of a US quarter, but a lot thinner):  1708, 1722, 1731, 1776, & 1808

8-reales coins, or pieces of eight (about the size of a US silver dollar, and about the same thickness): 1795

Price: 

1-real coins             $25 each

Select 1-real coin dates

2-reales coins         $32 each

Select 2-reales coin date

8-reales coins         $48 each

Select 8-reales coin date

Above: Front and back of the six available 2-reales coins and the two 1-real coins (lower left).  Below:  Front and back of an 8-reales, “piece of eight.”

A friend of mine made a beautiful tomahawk not long ago. The top of the hawk head was decorated with a genuine 2-reales Spanish silver coin, dated 1788.  I loved the look of it, and decided to finish two hawks I was building for my nephews in the same way.  However, the only Spanish coins that were inexpensive enough were in very poor shape, and I was a little reluctant to drill through an original coin no matter what its condition.

I got around the problem by creating replica reales in sterling silver.  These photos below show the front and back of the original coin (left) and the copy (right). 

Original 1731 2-reales coin on the left. 
Duplicate sterling silver coin is on the right.

Original 1731 2-reales coin on the left. 
Duplicate sterling silver coin is on the right.

Note:  The replication process makes duplicate coins that are about 2% smaller than the original, so they can easily be spotted by coin collectors as replicas.  They are made from sterling instead of coin silver for the same reason. (Coin silver is 90% silver and 10% copper.  Sterling silver is 92.5% silver and 7.5% copper.)

[Click on any picture to enlarge]