Necessity has inspired innovation and creativity throughout history, and was the driving force behind the creation of Trade Dollars, global currencies first introduced in the late 15th Century when the ‘Spanish Dollar’ was used as a standard currency to facilitate international trade.

Produced with a consistent quality and specification and worth eight Spanish Reales, the reliable, trusted Spanish Dollars were the original “pieces of eight”!

By the late 19th Century, Chinese trade was growing both regionally and with the West and a standardised currency was needed to simplify the buying and selling of goods.