They were first minted in [[1536]], and quickly became a global standard, because of their rather reliably standard weight and purity. Largely minted using silver from South American mines such as Potosi, Spanish coins traveled to East Asia in massive volumes aboard the [[Manila galleons|Acapulco-Manila galleons]]. They soon came to circulate even in China, especially in and around [[Guangzhou]]. By the 19th century Spanish dollars were widely circulating as-is in many parts of the region, rather than being melted down; this was especially the case in southern China. | They were first minted in [[1536]], and quickly became a global standard, because of their rather reliably standard weight and purity. Largely minted using silver from South American mines such as Potosi, Spanish coins traveled to East Asia in massive volumes aboard the [[Manila galleons|Acapulco-Manila galleons]]. They soon came to circulate even in China, especially in and around [[Guangzhou]]. By the 19th century Spanish dollars were widely circulating as-is in many parts of the region, rather than being melted down; this was especially the case in southern China. |