rare coins from Spain

The Arrival of Spain in the New World

In 1492, Christopher Columbus landed in the Caribbean under the Spanish crown. His voyage marked the beginning of European colonization. Spain, eager to expand its empire, quickly followed with more expeditions. Soon after, explorers like Hernán Cortés and Francisco Pizarro arrived, driven by gold, glory, and God.

The Spanish crown financed these expeditions to secure land, convert indigenous people, and extract valuable resources. As more ships arrived, native societies faced profound disruption. The Spanish brought firearms, steel, horses, and diseases—tools that gave them a terrifying advantage.

Although indigenous civilizations like the Aztecs and Incas showed strength, Spain eventually dominated them. Disease decimated millions, and Spanish military tactics overwhelmed

A common question we get is "What is a Spanish Escudo coin?" The Escudo was and is Spanish currency. Escudos comes in both gold and silver. Interestingly, the first Escudo gold coins were introduced in 1535/1537. They were issued in denominations of ¹⁄₂, 1, 2, 4 and 8 Escudos. In addition, the 2 Escudos coins were commonly known as Doubloons and worth 16 reales.

Gold Escudos were issued until 1833. They are beautiful coins with great attention to detail. As a result, these gold coins from Spain in the 1790’s have remarkable eye appeal. Today's coin collectors and investors

Rare Spanish silver called 4 Reales are coins that we've never seen before. Moreover, certainly not in such a high grade. Ferdinand and Isabella minted these coins. The two who reigned over Spain jointly in the late 1400s, together known as the Catholic Monarchs.

Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain were responsible for funding Columbus' journey to the New World. Silver Four Reales were the circulating currency back in the late 15th century. Some of them are probably the same coins that help to fund these trips. It is important to note, that Explorers didn't intentionally venture out to discover the new world in the Americas. All they want was to amass a fortune. Their true intent was "find a new trade route to China that would bypass the Mediterranean."