Dos Mundos
In celebration of this year’s National Heritage Month, the BSP features important pieces from its numismatic collection. In the photo is the Dos Mundos.
In 1723, the Spaniards authorized the minting of the famous dos mundos (eight reales) also called “Pieces-of-eight,” which soon became known the world over for their beauty and standard of purity. These found their way to the Philippines from Mexican-Spanish mints via the galleon trade. The coins depicted the Spanish crown over two hemispheres representing their European and American empire flanked by two columns. In the Philippines, these came to be known as columnarias. In 1772, King Carlos III placed his portrait bust on the face of the reales, setting the precedent for future monarchs. Due to the widespread prevalence of forgeries at this time, Chinese merchants often stamped the coins with their own “chopmark” to signify authenticity.
Dos Mundos and other important pieces in the BSP’s numismatic collection are featured in the recently launched Yaman: History and Heritage in Philippine Money. For more information, please visit www.bsp.gov.ph or email bspstore@bsp.gov.ph.
You may want to read: