The real (plural: ''reales'') was the currency of

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

until 1843.

History

Until 1821, the

Spanish colonial real The silver real ( es, real de plata) was the currency of the Spanish colonies in America and the Philippines. In the seventeenth century the silver real was established at two billon reals (''reales de vellón'') or sixty-eight ''maravedís'' ...

circulated in Venezuela. On 12 June 1802, a mint was opened in Caracas and issued coins denominated in reales until 1821. Paper money was introduced in 1811 denominated in

pesos The peso is the monetary unit of several countries in the Americas, and the Philippines. Originating in the Spanish Empire, the word translates to "weight". In most countries the peso uses the same sign, "$", as many currencies named "dollar" ...

. The Colombian real circulated in Venezuela from 1821, with some coins struck in Caracas. In 1837, the Colombian real was replaced by the Colombian peso (subdivided into 8 reales), which was itself replaced by the

Venezuelan peso The peso (local name ''peso fuerte'') was a currency of Venezuela until 1874. History Until 1821, the Spanish colonial real circulated in Venezuela. Some of these coins were minted at the Caracas Royal Mint (Spanish: ''Real Casa de Moneda de Car ...

(subdivided into 10 reales) in 1842 (though it would take a year for the new coins to enter circulation, replacing the 1820s reales). The "real" moniker would continue to be used as a subdivision of the peso until 1863 when the last coin bearing "real" was struck.

Coins

From 1802, copper and real coins were issued. Silver 1 and 2 reales followed in 1810. In 1812, the Republican government issued copper and real and silver and 1 real. From 1813, the provinces of Guayana and Maracaibo issued copper and real coins. The Royalists issued silver 1, 2 and 4 reales between 1817 and 1821. During the period Venezuela was part of

Gran Colombia Gran Colombia (, "Great Colombia"), or Greater Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia (Spanish language, Spanish: ''República de Colombia''), was a state that encompassed much of northern South America and part of southern Central Ameri ...

, silver real coins were struck at Caracas.

References

* * History of Venezuela Modern obsolete currencies 1837 disestablishments Currencies of Venezuela {{Venezuela-stub