# Coins and Currencies

Angel
The Angel or Angel-Noble was a gold coin struck in England in 1465 and ceased in the reign of Charles I. The value varied from 6s 8d to 10s.

Angel-Noble
see "Angel"

Angelot
The Angelot was a French gold coin struck by Philip VI in 1340. Its weight was from 97.22 to 87.96 grains. Henry VI of England also issued a gold coin with this name, for use in his French dominions. It weighed about 35 grains.

Anna
The anna was an Indian coin, one sixteenth of a rupee.

Aureus
The Aureus was the first and standard Roman gold coin, issued tentatively about 217 BC and afterwards permanently by Julius Caesar and the Roman emperors, until Constantine substituted the solidus for it.

Baiocco
see "Bajocco"

Bajocco
The bajocco or baiocco was a small silver or copper coin used in the Papal States from 1592 to 1867 and valued at about a halfpenny.

Bellybutton Dollar
The Bellybutton Dollar is a variety of 1884 silver dollar that has a defect from the die causing a strategically placed depression on the eagle's lower abdomen.

Bezant
see "Solidus"

Blazer
Blazer is a numismatic slang term for an Uncirculated or Proof coin having above-average luster and visual appeal.

Blue Ikes
Blue Ikes is a term used to describe 1971 to 1978 Eisenhower Uncirculated 40%-silver dollars in original blue envelopes of issue.

Booby Head
A booby head is an American 1839 large cent coin. The term was used as early as the 1850s because Miss Liberty exhibits an idiot's or booby's expression on her face.

Brown Ikes
Brown Ikes is a term used to describe 1971 to 1978 Eisenhower Proof 40%-silver dollars in their brown box of issue.

Carolus
The carolus was a gold coin first struck in the reign of Charles I and originally equal to one pound. It was later valued at 23 shillings. The name was also given to other coins of the period bearing 'Carolus' as the name of the monarch, eg a Carolus dollar.

Dime
A dime is small silver coin valued at 10 cents and used in the USA. Dime means a tenth part, and ten cents is one tenth of a dollar.

Dinar
The dinar is the currency of Algeria, Bahrain, Iraq, Yugolsavia and South Yemen.

Dirham
The Dirham is the currency of Morocco and United Arab Emirates.

Doit
The doit was an ancient Scottish silver penny, twelve equal to the English penny.

Dollar
The dollar is the currency of Australia, Brunei, Canada, Ethiopia, Fiji, Jamaica, USA. Dollars, from the German thaler, were first issued in Spain in 1797.

Dong
The dong is the currency of Vietnam.

Doubloon
A doubloon was a Spanish and Spanish American gold coin in use until the 18th century.

Doydekyn
The doydekyn was a small Dutch coin used around 1400.

Drachma
The drachma is the currency of Greece.

Dragon
The Dragon was a Chinese silver dollar.

Ducat
The ducat was a coin, usually of gold, used at various times in different European countries. The first ducat was struck by Roger II of Sicily.

Eagle
The eagle was an ancient Irish coin made from base metal, used around 1270 and so named from an impression of an eagle stamped on it. The American eagle was a gold coin of 10 dollars issued from 1792.

Escudo
The escudo is the currency of Portugal and Angola. Until 1975 the escudo was the currency in Chile.

Farthing
The farthing was an English coin. It was one quarter of a penny. It was a silver coin from the reign of Edward I to that of Mary, no farthings being issued during the reign of Elizabeth I. The copper farthing was introduced by James I in 1613, and the bronze farthing in 1860. Between 1842 and 1869 half-fathings were also coined.

Florin
The florin was an English 2 shilling coin first issued in 1849. It went out of production with the adoption of decimal currency.

Forint
The forint is the currency of hungary.

Fractional Currency
Fractional currency was a term used to describe the bank notes of the USA which were of denominations of less than one dollar, some were even as low as 3 cents!

Franc
The franc is the principle monetary unit of France, Belgium, Switzerland, Burundi, Cameroon, Rwanda and some other countries. The first French franc was struck, in gold, in 1360 and bore an impression of John II on horseback.

George-noble
The George-noble was a British gold coin minted during the reign of Henry VIII and valued at six shillings and eight pence. It was called the George-noble because on the reverse was a picture of St George slaying a dragon.

Gerah
The gerah was an ancient Jewish monetary unit. It was one twentieth of a shekel.

Gourde
The gourde is the currency of Haiti.

Greenback
Greenback was a name applied to the notes first issued in the USA in 1862 in demoninations of one dollar and upwards, on account of the colour of the ink used to print them.

Groat
A groat was an English 4 pence coin. The last was struck in 1888.

Groschen
Groschen was the currency of Germany until 1872. The first groschen were struck in Treves in 1104. In 1525 the groschen was divided into twelve pfennige.

Guarani
The guarani is the currency of Paraguay.

Guilder
The guilder is the currency of the Netherlands.

Guinea
The Guinea was the first English gold coin, and was worth 20 shillings. Guineas were first minted in 1663 and so named from the gold which came from the coast of Guinea. The value varied between 20 and 30 shillings until it was fixed at 21 shillings in 1717. It was withdrawn from circulation in 1817 after the issue of soverigns, but the term continued to be used for 21 shillings.

Gulden
The Gulden was a silver coin of Austria, Hungary and Holland.

Half-eagle
The half-eagle was an American gold coin issued from 1792 and valued at 5 dollars.

Hapawalu
A Hapawalu is an 1883 Hawaiian pattern 12-cent coin. In Hawaiian, Hapa = half; Walu = eight. Half of eight, or the fraction one-eighth. Only 20 of these were coined.

Hot Lips
The Hoit Lips is a variety of the American 1888-O silver dollar struck from doubled obverse die (a manufacturing mistake) that leaves Liberty with two sets of lips.

Inti
The inti was the currency of Peru from 1987 to 1991.

Karor
see "Crore"

Kina
The Kina is the currency of Papua New Guinea. One Kina equals 100 toea.

Koruna
The Koruna is the currency of Czechoslovakia.

Krona
The krona is the currency of Iceland and Sweden.

Krone
The krone is the currency of Denmark and Norway.

Kwacha
The kwacha is the currency of Zambia and Malawi. In Malawi the kwacha (dawn) is the unit of currency in Malawi. So named because 100 tambala (cockerel) equal one Kwacha - 100 cockerels herald the dawn.

Kyat
The kyat is the currency of Burma.

Lat
The Lat is the currency of Latvia. One Lat equals 100 santims.

Lek
The lek is the currency of Albania.

Leu
The leu is the currency of Romania.

Lev
The lev is the currency of Bulgaria.

Lira
The lira is the currency of Italy and Turkey.

Livre tournois
The livre tournois was the currency used in France before the franc, which replaced it in 1795.

Manat
The Manat is the currency of Azerbaijan. One Manat is equal to 100 gapik.

Mark
The mark is the currency of Germany.

Markka
The markka is the currency of Finland.

Maundy
Royal maundy was silver coins struck and distributed to the value of and to as many old persons as the monarch's age in Britain.

Milreis
The milreis was the currency of Portugal until 1911, and of Brazil until 1942.

Mina
The mina was an ancient Jewish monetary unit comprised of 50 shekels.

Mohur
The mohur was an Indian gold coin valued at 15 rupees.

Moidore
The moidore was a Portugese gold coin used from 1690 until 1722.

Naira
The naira is the currency of Nigeria.

Nuevo sol
Nuevo sol is the currency of Peru, introduced in 1991 to replace the Inti.

Obverse
In numismatics, the obverse is the side of a coin bearing the head or principal figure.

Paisas
The Paisas is the currency of Bangladesh. There are 100 Paisas to 1 Taka.

Peseta
The peseta is the currency of Spain and Equatorial Guinea. In Spain 1 peseta = 100 centimos.

Peso
The peso is the currency of Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Philippines and Uruguay.

Pound
The pound is the currency of Egypt, Lebanon and the United Kingdom.

Pula
The Pula is the currency of Botswana. One Pula is equal to 100 thebes.

Quarter-eagle
The quarter-eagle was an American gold coin worth 2.5 dollars, issued from 1792.

Quetzal
The quetzal is the currency of Guatemala (it is divided into 100 centavos).

Rand
The rand is the currency of South Africa, Swaziland, Botswana.

Renminbi
The renminbi is the currency of China.

Reverse
In numismatics, the reverse is the side of a coin opposite to that on which the head or principle figure is impressed.

Rial
The rial is the currency of Iran, Oman and Saudi Arabia.

Riel
The Riel is the currency of Cambodia. One Riel is equal to 100 sen.

Ringgit
The ringgit is the currency of Malaysia.

Riyal
The Riyal is the currency of Qatar. One Riyal equals 100 dirhams.

Rouble
The rouble is the currency of Russia.

Rupee
The rupee is the currency of India and Pakistan. The name derives from the Sanskrit word for silver, rupya.

Rupiah
The rupiah is the currency of Indonesia.

Schilling
The schilling is the currency of Austria.

Shekel
The shekel is the currency of Israel which derived from the Hebrew standard of weight for valuing metal. The original shekels were uncoined ingots of 210 (light shekel) and 420 (heavy shekel) grains of silver. They were firsted coined by Simon the Hasmonean around 139 BC.

Shilling
The shilling is the currency of Kenya. English Shillings were first struck in 1504 of 925 silver. In 1919 the English shilling was reduced to silver of a 500 fineness and during the 1930s they ceased to be made of silver at all.

Solidus
The solidus was a gold coin struck by Constantine in place of the aureus, and known later as the bezant. Adopted by the Franks it was in use until the time of Pepin. The silver solidus was reckoned to equal twelve denarii, or silver pennies, and was thus equal to a shilling. The abbreviation S for solidus was adopted in the LSD in British pre-decimal coinage.

Sterling
Sterling is the currency of Britain. The name is derived from Easterlings, the Hanse merchants.

Stiver
Stivers were two small coins at one time current in Holland and the Dutch colonies. The Dutch stiver was a silver coin equal to one twentieth of a gulden, another stiver was a small copper coin only current in the colonies.

Stotinki
The stotinki is a unit of cuurency used in Bulgaria. 100 stotinki comprise 1 lev.

Sucre
The sucre is the currency of Ecuador.

Sycee
Sycee (sycee silver) were silver ingots used during the 18th century as a medium of exchange in China.

Tael
The tael was a Chinese weight unit of account. A tael of silver was made the standard monetary unit, nominally equivalent to 10 mace of ten candareens each, or 1000 copper cash. The tael was never used as an actual coin, but rather to weigh silver ingots.

Tail-Bar
A tail-bar is a variety of 1890-CC silver dollar that has a raised die line or bar from the eagle's tail to the wreath.

Taka
The Taka is a unit of currency used in Bangladesh. There are 100 Paisas in one 1 Taka.

Talent
A talent was an ancient Jewish monetary unit comprised of 3000 shekels. In ancient Greece, the talent was a unit of currency equivalent to 600 drachma.

Tambala
The Tambala (cockerel) is a unit of currency in Malawi. 100 tambala equal one Kwacha.

Tenge
The Tenge is the currency of Kazakhstan.

Tetradrachmon
The tetradrachmon was an ancient Greek coin equal to 4 drachma.

Thaler
The thaler was once the currency of Germany. From the name thaler derives the word dollar.

Thatcher
Thatcher is the nick-name given to the British one pound coin, because "it's thick brassy and thinks its a sovereign".

Three-legger
The three-legger is a variety of 1937-D Buffalo Nickel. After one set of dies clashed together damaging themselves, the mint technician accidentally ground off the buffalo's foreleg when he tried to repair it. While easy to counterfeit, the three-legged Buffalo when genuine displays a moth-eaten appearance on the hindquarters of the beast, and a thin dappled line resembling urine descending in an arc from the belly.

Threes
Threes is slang for a three-dollar gold piece.

Thrip
The thrip is an American three-cent piece, employed as early as the late 1800s. The term was possibly first used to describe the silver three-cent pieces, for when the nickel three-cent pieces arrived in 1865, these latter were called nickels.

Tombstone Note
Tombstone notes are $10 Silver Certificates issued from 1886-1908, so called because the portrait has a tombstone-shaped frame.

Unit
The unit was a British gold coin valued at 20 shillings issued by James I in 1604.

Wampum
Wampum were shell beads used by some North American Indians as currency.

Won
The won is the currency unit of South Korea.

Yen
The yen is the currency of Japan.

Yuan
The Yuan is the basic monetary unit in China.

Zloty
The Zloty is the currency of Poland.

Copyright 1997,1998 Servile Software Enquiries to Matthew Probert

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