Doubloon

Doubloon
Spanish gold 4-doubloon coin (8 escudos) stamped as minted in 1798

The doubloon (from Spanish doblón, meaning "double"), was a two-escudo or 32-reales gold coin, weighing 6.77 grams (0.218 troy ounces). Doubloons were minted in Spain, Mexico, Peru, and Nueva Granada. The term was first used to describe the golden excelente either because of its value of two ducats or because of the double portrait of Ferdinand and Isabella.

Doubloons are marked as "2... S" are equivalent to $4 in US gold coins were traded in that manner. A small 1/2 Escodo coin (similar to a US $1 gold piece) have no value on them but were worth a Spanish Milled dollar in trade.

In Spain, doubloons were current up to the middle of the 19th century. Isabella II of Spain replaced an escudo-based coinage with decimal reales in 1859, and replaced the 6.77 gram doblón with a new heavier doblón worth 100 reales and weighing 8.3771 grams (0.268 troy ounces). The last Spanish doubloons (showing the denomination as 80 reales) were minted in 1849. After their independence, the former Spanish colonies Mexico, Peru and Nueva Granada continued to mint doubloons.

Doubloons have also been minted in Portuguese colonies, where they went by the name dobrão, with the same meaning.

In Europe the doubloon became the model for several other gold coins, including the French Louis d'or, the Italian doppia, the Swiss duplone, the Northern German pistole, and the Prussian Friedrich d'or.

On Pillar Spanish Dollars or Spanish Milled Dollars of the 1700's to 1899, there was a picture of the Pillars of Hercules overlaid with a scroll. This is one possible origin of the dollar sign.[1]

Popular culture

  • "Doubloon" is used as a slang term for a poker chip.
  • "Jake and the Never Land Pirates", the Disney Junior television show, the crew is searching for "gold doubloons".
  • In the board game Puerto Rico, doubloons are used as currency.
  • In the book "Biggles Flies West" by Captain W. E. Johns, the story revolves around a cursed doubloon.
  • In the television series "Suits" Harvey Spector makes a joke about breaking into Fort Knox in order to return some stolen "Doubloons"
  • In the Friends episode 'The One With The Prom Video', Monica ridicules Chandler's embarrassing gold bracelet which he got from Joey by teasing him that it "must have cost [him] quite a few doubloons".

See also

References

  1. ^ Nussbaum, Arthur: A history of the dollar. New York : Columbia University Press, 1957.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Doubloon — Doub*loon , n. [F. doublon, Sp. doblon. See {Double}, a., and cf. {Dupion}.] A Spanish gold coin, no longer issued, varying in value at different times from over fifteen dollars to about five. See {Doblon} in Sup. [1913 Webster] || …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • doubloon — 1620s, from Fr. doublon (16c.) and directly from Sp. doblon a gold coin, augmentive of doble double (coin so called because it was worth twice as much as the Spanish gold pistole), from L. duplus double (see DOUBLE (Cf. double)). Also see OON (Cf …   Etymology dictionary

  • doubloon — ► NOUN historical ▪ a Spanish gold coin. ORIGIN Spanish doblón, from doble double (because the coin was worth double the value of another former Spanish coin, the pistole) …   English terms dictionary

  • doubloon — [də blo͞on′] n. [Fr doublon < Sp doblón < dobla, an old Sp gold coin < doble < L duplus, DOUBLE] an obsolete Spanish gold coin …   English World dictionary

  • doubloon — noun Etymology: Spanish doblón, augmentative of dobla, an old Spanish coin, from Latin dupla, feminine of duplus double more at double Date: 1622 an old gold coin of Spain and Spanish America …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • doubloon — /du bloohn /, n. a former gold coin of Spain and Spanish America, originally equal to two escudos but fluctuating in value. [1615 25; < Sp doblón, equiv. to dobl(a) DOBLA + ón aug. suffix] * * * …   Universalium

  • doubloon — noun A former Spanish gold coin, also used in its American colonies. English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Georges, and Louises, doubloons and double guineas and moidores and sequins, the pictures of all the kings of Europe for the last hundred… …   Wiktionary

  • doubloon — Synonyms and related words: coin, crown, double eagle, ducat, eagle, five dollar gold piece, gold piece, guinea, half crown, half eagle, hard money, moidore, napoleon, piece, piece of money, piece of silver, pound sovereign, roll of coins,… …   Moby Thesaurus

  • doubloon — dou|bloon [dʌˈblu:n] n [Date: 1600 1700; : Spanish; Origin: doblón, from Latin duplus double ; DOUBLE1] a gold coin used in the past in Spain and Spanish America …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • doubloon — n. gold coin (used in Spain and Spanish America) …   English contemporary dictionary

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