First Silver Dollar of the Americas heading to auction
(Artdaily.org)

The legendary First `Dollar` of the Americas — struck in 1538 and recovered from the shipwreck of the `Golden Fleece` — may sell for $500,000 or more at Heritage Auctions Aug. 17 in Philadelphia. The finest example of just three known to exist, the historic silver coin was struck in Mexico City just three years after the Spanish Empire established its virreinato in the New World. `Spain was the first to colonize the Americas and the 1538 Carlos and Joanna 8 Reales represents its dominance in the world political order,` said Cristiano Bierrenbach, Heritage Auctions Executive Vice President of International Numismatics. `Not only is this dollar famous among coin collectors, it truly is an important historic artifact from the 16th century and the development of the New World.` This earliest of crown-sized coins were struck just two years after the