Selected event
c. 1545 – 1800·foundational·Silver Standard
Spanish American silver and the piece of eight
New World silver production (notably Potosí and Mexican mines) and the Spanish dollar (piece of eight) become a global trade coin influencing later dollar systems.
What to read
Curated for this event — not every linked book.
Essential reading
FREE PREVIEWPotosí: The Silver City That Changed the World
Kris Lane · 2019
Book·Written later about
Academic history
Lane’s history of Potosí reconstructs the silver mountain, minting, the piece of eight, and how New World silver reshaped global trade and money.
Monetary system
Before
regional coinages
After
global silver trade-coin circulation
Gold / silver significance
- Gold
- CONTEXTUAL
- Silver
- PRIMARY
Metals in event: silver
Primary sources
- United States Mint — history / coinage · United States Mint
- History of the United States dollar (overview) · Wikipedia (use only as pointer; verify against primary)
- Library of Congress — legislative & historical collections · Library of Congress