May 4th, 2016: casa de la moneda

[xoxoxoBruce]

When Spain was pillaging South America, they sent shiploads of silver back to Spain.
The silver ore was refined and silver cast into ingots. Then somebody said we’ve plenty of slave labor to
convert the ingots into coins, the real de a ocho, or Spanish Dollar, and just ship them. If they’d listened
to the wind they might of heard a hundred pirates chanting do it, do it, do it, as ingots were unknown
quality, but real de a ocho, or more often a piece of the eight, were common currency everywhere.
Actually it was the most common(trusted) currency in the US until the 1790s.

Casa de la Moneda - Potosí (Bolivia)
This is the old Spanish mint where the silver from the mines of Potosí was transformed into coins.
The original minting machines are preserved in a near-perfect state.
The oldest machines were made of huge wooden gears and powered by slaves or animals(availability).

Later they used steam-powered machines, but luckily they kept the old machines untouched (just in case!).
This huge building is now a national museum.

This is the gearing for the rolling machine to flatten the blank material.


The Dude in charge of the operation from 1569 to 1581 was the King’s Viceroy, Francisco de Toledo, Count of Oropesa.
Personally I think the Viceroy was skimming because I stayed in his house for a couple weeks. Not in South America,
his castle in Oropesa, Toledo(Castile-La Mancha), Spain, which is now a 4.4 star Parador(fancy hotel).

This is a slave/animal drive system............................. and a coin stamping machine.


I haven't checked to see how many of these coins were shipped to Spain, or what percentage actually got there
but I know it was many, many shiploads.

[sexobon]

CASA DE LA MONEDA, POTOSÍ is commemorated on the back of the 1945 20 Bolivianos banknote in striking red. I just happen to have one.

Larger than actual size to show detail:

[footfootfoot]

Originally Posted by sexobon

CASA DE LA MONEDA, POTOSÍ is commemorated on the back of the 1945 20 Bolivianos banknote in striking red. I just happen to have one.

Larger than actual size to show detail:

Attachment 56329

Now I feel like I should find my Uncle's scrip from his tour in Viet Nam.

[Mav]

This is what I imagine the time traveling / island moving wheel machinery looked behind the rock wall in Lost.

[BigV]

The Professor coulda done it with bamboo and coconuts.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Originally Posted by Mav

This is what I imagine the time traveling / island moving wheel machinery looked behind the rock wall in Lost.

Shhh, they'll hear you. Just look bedazzled and back slowly toward the door.

[JuancoRocks]

Originally Posted by footfootfoot

Now I feel like I should find my Uncle's scrip from his tour in Viet Nam.

Here's some of mine I brought home........

[xoxoxoBruce]

Do you know who those women are on the bills?

[JuancoRocks]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

Do you know who those women are on the bills?

I seem to remember that these were printed by the Thomas Banknote Company which is a British company that printed many world currencies. I have no idea who the women were supposed to represent.
We thought they were babes just long enough to spend them on beer.

That buck represents ten beers. I'm surprised I saved it.

JR

[Diaphone Jim]

The whole MPC scam was supposedly to stop the black market. Only Americans could legaly hold them and when a sweeping exchange took place, the Vietnamese got it in the shorts again.
I had one REMF friend who claimed he made profits in five figures every time it happened.
Makes me proud.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Did the troops in Iraq get paid in bacon?