Coins were a rarity in early Texas, so colonists used the Spanish silver dollar known as “pieces of eight.” These were minted in Mexico City in 1535 and in the 1730’s. The coin could actually be cut into eight pie-shaped pieces called “bits.” Each bit was worth twelve and a half cents in U.S. currency. When the U.S. coined the quarter, it was worth twenty-five cents, or two bits. The half dollar was worth four bits, etc. The word peso is actually an abbreviation for the phrase, peso del ocho, meaning the weight or a piece of the eight.
Mr. Stephen Mendel is an attorney who focuses a substantial part of his practice on estate planning. Mr. Mendel’s guiding principle is to provide his clients with quality legal services tailored to each client’s specific needs and goals.
Latest posts by Stephen A. Mendel, Estate Planning Attorney (see all)
- Texas History – When did Texas become a part of the United State? - August 3, 2021
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