From Moidores to Escudos: Assessing Early American Trade Coins for Jewelry Crafting

Not Every Coin Rings True for Jewelry

After twenty years at the jeweler’s bench, transforming history into wearable art, I’ve developed a sixth sense for coins that want to become rings. Today we’ll examine three fascinating pieces that crossed Early American palms – the Brazilian 20,000 Reis, Spanish 1/2 Escudo, and French Ecu – not just as collectibles, but as raw material. Which treasures deserve preservation in mint condition, and which reveal their true magic when reborn as jewelry? Let’s explore together.

Metal Composition: Gold vs Silver Secrets

Brazilian 20,000 Reis: The Crown Jewel

Holding this Portuguese-Brazilian giant (53.78g of 22-karat gold) feels like gripping sunlight. At 91.7% purity, its golden warmth whispers promises – but forging wearable art from such treasure demands reverence:

• Malleability: High gold content yields like warm wax under skilled hands
• Structural Reality: Pure gold’s softness requires reinforced edges – no room for error with $5,500+ in raw material
• Second Chances: That 1725 specimen with the test cut? Its reduced numismatic value became my canvas for a signet ring preserving its armored knight in eternal vigilance

French Ecu: Silver’s Answer to Royalty

Don’t let Spain’s 8 Reales steal the spotlight – this 41mm French masterpiece (29.5g of .917 silver) combines museum-worthy art with jeweler-friendly substance:

• Perfect Balance: Harder than gold yet more forgiving than brittle alloys
• Patina Poetry: Natural grey toning (like @Boosibri’s forum example) polishes into liquid mercury highlights
• History’s Fingerprints: Those parallel “adjustment marks”? Not flaws – free texture from the mint’s own hand

“I’ve seen Louis XV’s profile emerge from tarnished silver like a ghost from history. When sunlight hits the high relief just right… that’s numismatic magic transformed.”

Spanish Half-Escudo: The Delicate Dancer

Weighing less than a hummingbird’s feather (1.7g), these 17mm gold whispers demand kid-glove treatment:

• Size Matters: Smaller than a modern dime – better suited to pendants than rings
• Stress Test: Thin planchets often crack under sizing pressure like autumn leaves
• Lost Details: Simple pillar designs fade faster than childhood memories during transformation

Design Details: When History Meets Hammer

20,000 Reis: Heraldry in Your Hand

That 36mm canvas showcases breathtaking preservation potential:

• The armored knight’s crown creates natural highlights when polished judiciously
• Circular legends frame designs like Renaissance manuscript borders
• Reverse cross motifs allow for reversible rings – two stories in one heirloom

For damaged specimens? That test cut becomes a “maker’s mark” – filled with contrasting gold to honor its journey.

French Ecu: Baroque Brilliance

The Louis XV portrait (like our forum example) demonstrates why silversmiths dream in French:

• High-relief profiles gain three-dimensional quality when domed
• Flowing hair details catch light like liquid silver
• Heraldic reverses make show-stopping exterior band surfaces

Adjustment marks become design partners – follow their rhythm for hammer-textured bands that whisper “authentic.”

Collectibility vs. Craftsmanship: The Ethical Edge

Preserve These Treasures

• Coins grading AU+ with original luster intact
• Pieces with documented provenance (shipwrecks, famous collections)
• Rare varieties (even if early American rarity differs from European)

Transform Without Regret

• Damaged survivors (cleaned, holed, or bent)
• Common-date “workhorses” with stories etched in their wear
• Coins where toning enhances eye appeal beyond numismatic norms

History You Can Wear

As @Morgan White observed, these coins circulated during America’s monetary adolescence (1793-1857) – a time when a French Ecu bought as much political influence as goods. This context elevates jewelry beyond adornment:

• 20,000 Reis: Embodied Brazil’s gold rush and transatlantic trade winds
• French Ecu: Funded revolutions in both hemispheres
• Half-Escudo: Greased palms during California’s gold fever

When I craft such pieces, I include provenance notes – transforming jewelry into wearable documentation. Imagine your descendant holding a Ecu ring, reading how it crossed oceans to finance Lafayette’s troops before gracing your hand.

Verdict: Which Coins Sing When Forged?

After countless hours studying strike quality, patina, and structural integrity, my ranking emerges:

1. French Ecu: Silver’s perfect storm of size, artistry, and workability
2. Brazilian 20,000 Reis: Kingly gold best preserved unless damaged
3. Spanish Half-Escudo: Leave these sleeping beauties in their display cases

True craftsmanship honors a coin’s essence. Some pieces demand preservation – their numismatic value and historical weight too precious to alter. Others find their highest purpose when molten heat and careful hammer blows transform them into legacy jewelry. The French Ecu’s marriage of practical silver content and Baroque beauty crowns it the undisputed champion for jewelers seeking to make history tangible.

Related Resources

You might also find these related articles helpful:

• Treasure in Plain Sight: Expert Guide to Error Coin Detection on Morgan Dollars & Buffalo Nickels – Most collectors walk right past the tiny imperfections that transform ordinary coins into numismatic legends. As an erro…
• The 2017-P Lincoln Cent Error Hunter’s Field Guide: Decoding Die Varieties & Rarity Markers – Most collectors walk past hidden treasures every day, but for those who study Lincoln cents with a numismatist’s e…
• Unearthing Hidden Treasures: The 1866 With Rays Shield Nickel and the Art of Cherry Picking – The Thrill of the Hunt Forget waiting for dealer showcases – the true magic of numismatics happens when you get yo…