Reaal van achten, geslagen te Mexico, munt uit het wrak van de Oost-Indiëvaarder 't Vliegend Hart 1730

Editor: This is a silver "Reaal van achten", or piece of eight, minted in Mexico around 1730. It comes from the wreck of the Dutch East India Company ship 't Vliegend Hart. Considering its age and journey, it looks quite worn. What historical context informs your understanding of this piece? Curator: This coin speaks volumes about global trade and colonial power. It wasn't just currency; it represented the reach of the Spanish Empire, even into the Dutch sphere. This specific piece, salvaged from a shipwreck, reveals the risks inherent in that system. It brings to the fore the socio-political factors that allowed countries like Spain to build their empires, underpinned by mineral wealth extracted from the Americas. Consider, whose labor produced the silver and what was its destination? Editor: So it highlights a flow of resources but also a flow of power. Was this coin a standard form of currency then? Curator: Absolutely. It circulated widely, even in places like North America. Its uniformity and silver content made it a reliable standard, contributing to a shared global economy. The wear and tear adds to the narrative. What impact do you think the salvaging of such artifacts has on the political imagination? Editor: I imagine discovering this on a sunken trade vessel would evoke feelings tied to mercantilism, exploration, colonial powers… a kind of tangible connection to history. It puts ideas of international trade into a really specific image. Curator: Precisely! Its public display underscores the museum's role in framing our understanding of this historical period, doesn’t it? Each blemish or missing piece enhances its allure, offering entry to the political world that this seemingly banal object shaped and comes from. Editor: I hadn't thought about it that way before, but I see how powerful of an object it is now. Curator: Museums have power as sites to learn.