This object is a 8 reales silver coin with Chinese chop marks that was minted in 1791 under the Spanish Empire. The obverse side shows the bust of King Charles IV, and the reverse shows the coat of arms of Spain. Both sides have chop marks. Chop marks were used by Chinese bankers to test for forgeries. They show the international use of the 8 reales, because the valuable silver was mined in Mexico, but circulated to the other side of the globe through trade and the expansion of the Spanish Empire. This coin is important because it was the first internationally accepted currency, was used as a base for many national currencies, and was a mass produced and circulated object that influenced the international economic system.
![silver coin with bust of Carlos (Charles) IV facing right with various South and/or East Asian merchant chopmarks; CAROLUS IIII DEI GRATIA 1791](https://commons.mtholyoke.edu/moneysp2024/wp-content/uploads/sites/917/2024/05/mh_2017_3_v1_01.jpg)
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