1725 silver spanish 2-real coin, cut into 1/8

This wedge of silver is a Spanish 2 real coin that has been cut into a 1/8th portion. Just visible on the piece are the numbers “25,” and small fragment of a crown surmounting a shield bearing the royal arms, indicating the coin was minted in 1725 during the reign of Phillip V. Comprised of pure silver, the value of these coins was tied to their weight, so smaller change could be made by cutting larger denominations. The milling lines, just visible along the coin’s edge, were a safe guard against illicitly tampering with the silver weight, and thus value, of each coin as shaving or cutting along the edge would result in the removal of these marks. Spanish silver coinage circulated throughout eighteenth century America, which was always short of British or American coinage.

While it might be surprising, in certain times and places, a few enslaved individuals were able to earn cash on eighteenth century plantations. At Mount Vernon, individuals did sell produce and small livestock, raised in garden plots allotted the enslaved community by Washington. Other individuals were able to acquire and sell wild food stuffs gathered or hunted. Markets for these goods included George Washington, himself, in some cases, and Sunday markets in in Alexandria by the late eighteenth century. Such cash earnings provided a modicum of economic choice for enslaved individuals and families, allowing them to acquire items of their own choosing. It is important not to forget, however, the overwhelming imbalance of economic and legal power held by planters.