Silver Coins of Europe
Silver mining began early when the Americas were at its simple beginnings, also known at this time as the "New World." Europeans quickly began to exploit the silver mines, particularly those in South America, to answer a demand for silver in Europe inspired by the fine craftsmanship of the Renaissance. The discovery of silver in Joachimsthal also gave rise to the silver joachimsthaler coin. Production of silver in the Americas influenced trade and politics in Europe and transformed European relations with other regions of the world, particularly China and the Ottoman empire. The influx of silver into Europe led to the sometimes uncontrolled minting of coins. All countries of Europe eventually began to issue large size silver coins. Europeans then used these silver coins to purchase goods abroad which eventually led to inflation. The great amounts of silver available caused the relative value of silver to drop.
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