Real and early coins — Argentina
Peso before 1826
The only coins in circulation in Argentina at the time of colonization were the colonial Spanish real. Peso was the name used by the Spanish for the silver coin of eight reales. After the independence from Spain in 1816, Argentina began to mint its own coins, denominated real, sol and shields, including eight real silver (or sol) named peso.
Peso fuerte (1826–1881)
In 1826 there were issued two series of currencies in pesos. One of them, the peso fuerte ( ISO 4217 code: ARF, symbol $F) was a convertible currency, with an initial exchange ratio of 17 peso fuerte to one Spanish ounce (27.0643 g) of gold fineness of 0.916. The ratio was changed in 1864 to 16 peso fuerte to 1 ounce of gold.
Peso moneda corriente (1826–1881)
The second currency introduced in 1826 was the peso moneda corriente (symbol $m/n). It started at par with the peso fuerte, but became not convertible with time.
In 1822 the real Argentine was divided into 10 0 decimos, while in 1854, coins were introduced in Argentine cents (centavos). The denominations of the coins in decimos minted in copper, were 1, 5, 10 and 20 decimos, in addition to those from a quarter of a real, half real and 1 and 2 real. As far as the centavos, 1, 2 and 4 centavos coins were introduced.
The adoption of decimos and centavos coins, however, didn’t introduced a decimal monetary system in Argentina, which happened only in 1881 with the abandonment of the real and the adoption of the peso, with the ratio of 8 reales for 1 peso.
