Currency of Venezuela 1, 2009. In preparation for the conversion, all prices had been expressed in both bolívars and bolívars fuerte since October 1, 2007. Currency of Venezuela This article provides a historical summary of the currency used in Venezuela since the end of the 18th century. For the present currency of Venezuela, see Venezuelan bolívar. Peso = 8 Reales (silver) Escudo = 2 Pesos (gold) History Venezuela shared the common Spanish-American monetary system, based on the silver peso and the gold escudo, current throughout Spanish America. Trade, especially in cacao, brought money to the colony in the late 17th century in the
Global silver trade from the 16th to 18th centuries to coins in the early period of the Ming Dynasty. The Ming paper currency eventually failed due to self-imposed inflation along with an inability to stop the production of counterfeit bills. The Ming attempted to produce copper coins as a new form of currency, but production was inconsistent. Hence silver became of high value because it was a valid currency that could be processed abroad. The bimetallic ratio of silver to gold was about two to one, which meant that European and Japanese merchants made a large amount of profit. In the 1640s, the bimetallic ratios in China converged with