For centuries Spanish silver coinage was famous throughout the world as the standard by which other coinages were measured, due to its consistent weight and purity. The ascendancy of Spanish coinage dates from 1537 when Charles I, revising an act of 1479, promulgated exacting standards for Spanish silver and gold coins. The Spanish eight reales coin was set at a weight of 423.9 grains (27.47 grams) of .9305 fine silver. From that date the coin only depreciated some 4.4% over the next 250 years! In addition to its stability, Spanish coinage was abundant. Spanish regulated coinage was not only minted throughout Spain but was also produced in Spain's colonial possessions. As early as 1536, a year before the coinage reform, Spanish colonial silver coins were minted in Mexico City. With the discovery of major silver and gold deposits throughout the Viceroyalty of Peru (which included all of Spanish South America from what is now Panama down to Venezuela) major mints were opened in Lima, Peru (1568-1589 then reopened in 1684), Potos¨ª, Bolivia (from 1575) and Santa Fe de Bogot¨¢, Columbia (from 1620). Later, additional mints were located in Guatemala City (from 1733), Santiago, Chile (from 1750), and Popayan, Columbia (from 1758). From these locations, and to a lesser extent from Spain, a number of coins made their way into the English colonies.

During the Dutch Revolt (1568 - 1609) this pattern changed and by both parties, the North in front, about 2,000 different, mostly political, jetons (Dutch: Rekenpenning) were minted depicting the victories, ideals and aims. Specifically in the last quarter of the 16th century, where "Geuzen" or "beggars" made important military contributions to the Dutch side and bookkeeping was already done without counters, the production in the North was just for propaganda.
The mints and treasuries of the big estates in Central Europe used their own jetons and then had a number of them struck in gold and silver as New Year gifts for their employees who in turn commissioned jetons with their own mottoes and coats-of-arms. In the sixteenth century, the Czech Royal Treasury bought between two and three thousand pieces at the beginning of each year.
 

Use as Money

It is clear that an important part of a nicety by the frost given early count pennies as currency in circulation was brought, and the subsequent annual excess computational tokens of the clerks - and perhaps even the "bosses" - or in the case of silver specimens processing by silversmiths or the mint's products. Which this is demonstrated by the large numbers of heavily worn and therefore not collectable count pennies left in the soil found or that have been preserved, after at least after our currency reform in the mid-19th century no longer pay could be used. Using an abacus, or put on the cloth would not use a few years of wear.
As an example below, a heavily worn token of 1620 from the Southern Netherlands. This token was about as heavy and as big then as a "groot", a copper coin from two doits. Also the picture of Albert and Isabella became a sort of authorization to use money as suggested.

The jetons described in this chapter just give a small impression of more than a thousand different Dutch jetons. After 1600 increasingly less Dutch jetons were struck. The change from the counters to pen-reckoning was not the only reason, for France and the Spanish Southern Netherlands just went on striking jetons for collectors. In Holland the interest in buying and making presents of jetons disappeared because a new kind of medal appeared on the market, the big silver history-medal. The Dutch name for jeton, legpenning (laid-penny) remained to indicate a small history-medal.
The jetons of the Netherlands were, just like in France, struck in the official mints by government order. The moneyer had to stick to the design appointed by the government. However, there were no objections against using old dies again in order to meet the needs of collectors.