2 oz BU - Pieces of Eight

This round, titled, “Pieces of Eight” was the first members only strike of the year having the BU “Pieces of Eight” on the obverse and the standard Silver Shield 2016 Trivium proof on the reverse.

It physically represents the deadly history of silver. “Praedatum In Mundo” translates into “A Predatory World” that defines the struggle of man against nature to extract this rare, precious metal, but also the violent clashes of civilizations in their efforts to control the treasure of the world.

The ocean and sky in the background represent the treacherous seas that would claim the lives of many men who were in search of this glorious treasure. Explorers who sought to find new trading routes with Asia soon discovered the new world and all its riches.

The Aztec inspired lower border represents the powerful Native American empires that developed long before the Europeans knew they existed.

The Silver Shield “Pieces of Eight” was styled after the original Spanish Dollar, or Eight Reales, coin. As with the original Spanish Dollar, the twin pillars of Hercules are adorned with the early manifest destiny motto of the Spanish Empire, “PLVS VLTR”, or "Further Beyond". T hese adorned pillars are also the reason why we have the dollar sign ($) today. For many years, when America was young, the Spanish Dollar was used as an official currency in our new colonies.

Just as with the original Spanish Dollar, the only way to cut the Pieces of Eight into its eight pieces was with a lot of effort and strong tools. Unlike the original Spanish Dollar, the Silver Shield “Pieces of Eight” public release has a unique reverse that shows the purity and weight of the (8) 1/8 oz pure silver pieces of the 1 oz pure silver strike. If you do manage to cut this into eighths, each piece of eight would have a unique colonial power sword on the obverse.