And finally,
No study of coinage of the Americas is complete without mention of the Spanish colonial Real.
Used nearly all over the continent and produced at several mints. The standard coin was the 8 Reales which in time became the model of most of the currencies in South America and is responsible for the odd denominations, 8 Reales became worth 1 Peso, so 2 Reales was 25 Centavos whilst 1 Real was 12½ Centavos (see Venezuela). Half real became 6¼ Centavos which was used in Haiti.
The Pillars of Hercules design on the 8 Reales is the source of the modern $ symbol.
Mints were as follows
G - Guatemala City (until 1776)
LM = Lima, Peru
M - Mexico City
NG - Nueva Guatemala (from 1777)
NR - Cartagena, Colombia
P, PN - Popayan, Colombia
PTS - Potosi, Bolivia
So - Santiago, Chile
1) ½ Real, crude, a 'cob', struck at
Potosi, Bolivia
2) ½ Real 1807, Charles IIII struck at Mexico
3) ½ Real 1812, Ferdinand VII struck at Santiago, with the portrait of Charles IIII but legend of Ferdinand VII as they didn't know what he looked like...
4) ½ Real 1821, Ferdinand VII struck at Mexico, with the portrait of Ferdinand VII.
5) 2 Reales 1797, struck at New Guatemala.
6) 8 Reales 1772, struck in Mexico, this particular example has the mintmasters initials 'FM' upside down.