# Two-bits **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 11, 2001, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-bits/92815 "2001-11-11T22:36:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Muad\_Dib](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/35a633/32.png) [@Muad\_Dib](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muad_Dib)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2001, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-bits/92815/1 "2001-11-11T22:36:25Z")
Why does two-bits mean 25 cents? Was there once a 12.5 cent piece called a bit? ---
**Author:** ![Patricinus\_Scriblerus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f07891/32.png) [@Patricinus\_Scriblerus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patricinus_Scriblerus)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2001, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-bits/92815/2 "2001-11-11T22:37:40Z")
My WAG is that it had something to do with the old “pieces of eight” ---
**Author:** ![kgriffey79](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/2bfe46/32.png) [@kgriffey79](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kgriffey79)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2001, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-bits/92815/3 "2001-11-11T22:48:57Z")
During the colonial days, people used coins from all over the world. The most commonly used coin was the Spanish milled dollar. When our nation adopted an official currency, the Spanish Milled Dollar was chosen, and it later became the model for American silver dollars. The Spanish milled dollars were easily cut apart into equal “bits” of 8 pieces. One “bit” would be equal to 1/8 of a dollar, and 2 bits would equal 2/8 (or 1/4 - a quarter of a dollar). So, it is easy to see why the coins were called “pieces of eight”, and “2 bits” was commonly used to refer to 25 cents. ---
**Author:** ![Popup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/94ad74/32.png) [@Popup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Popup)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2001, 9:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-bits/92815/4 "2001-11-12T09:01:44Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by kgriffey79 \* > **The Spanish milled dollars were easily cut apart into equal “bits” of 8 pieces.** I have heard this refuted, but I cannot find a cite. Apparently very few (if any) doubloons cut into eights have been found. The reason the Spanish doubloon was called a ‘piece of eight’ was that it was worth 8 escudos (the basic monetary unit of the Spanish Empire). ([cite](http://www.coins.nd.edu/ColCoin/ColCoinIntros/Sp-Gold.intro.html)) ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2001, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-bits/92815/5 "2001-11-13T05:12:45Z")
[http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=48662](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=48662) That’s only one of many previous threads on the subject. I feel that my three posts in that particular thread may help. The US never made a “bit” or any part of a “bit.” A "bit’ was a Spanish “1 real” worth about twelve and one half cents US. They were commonly used as money in the US until the last half of the 19th Century. Just forget you ever heard about the “cutting apart” stuff. It rarely happened.