PIASTER (Gr. and Lat. esnplastron, a plaster; transferred in the Romanic languages to anything spread out or flattened, a plate, a coin), a Spanish silver coin which has been extensively adopted other nations. It was formerly divided into 8 silver reals, and hence was termed a wee of eight, which name was invariably applied to it by the buca neers of the Spanish main. The present Spanish piaster, commonly known as the peso duro, peso fuerte, or, briefly, duro, is the standard of the money system, and is equiva lent to about 4s. 3d. of our money. It is divided into 20 copper reals (reales de rellem), In the Levant, the piaster is called a colonnato, on account of the original coins, which were struck for use iu Spanish America, bearing 2 columns onthe reverse side.—The Italian piaster, or seudo, was an evident imitation of the Spanish coin, and was exactly equal to it in value.—The piaster, peso, or dollar in use in Mexico and Cuba, as well as in Chili, Peru. Uruguay, and other South American states of Spanish origin, have
approximately the same value (4s. or 4s. 2d.). The dollar (q.v.) of the United States of North America was adopted from the Spanish piaster, but is a fraction- less in value, owing., it is said, to an error in the original estimate. The coin known as the Turkish piaster is not an imitation, but is an independent national silver coin, which in 1753 was worth about 3s. 6d. sterling, but has since gradually and rapidly deteriorated, till at the present day it is equal to not more than 28d. of our money.—The Egyptian piaster is worth about 2/.d. sterling. Pieces of 2, 5, 10, and 20 piasters are struck in silver, and of 50 and 100 in gold, the piece of 100 piasters being in Egypt the exchange at par for sterling.