Abacis. A silver coin mentioned by
Teixeira de Arajjao (iii) and claimed to
have been formerly in use botli in Portuguese
India and in the Portuguese possessions
in East Africa.
Abanque. See Abenge.
Abassi. See Abbasi.
Abaze. See Abbasi.
Abbasi. A Persian silver coin which
takes its name from Shah Abbas I (A. II.
996-1038=1587-1629). It was divided
into two Mahmudis, or four Shahis, or ten
Bisti.
In the Georgian series tlie Abbasi was
introduced in the reign of Theimouraz II
(1744-1762), and had a value of ten Bisti.
The half Abbasi, called Chaouri or Schauri,
Langlois (No. 67), Fonrobert (4288, 4303)
appeared in 1779 under Ereele (Hercules)
II.
With the Russian occupation of Georgia
under Alexander I, beginning in 1801, this
eoin received the name of Abaze or Rial,
and the currencj- was made to harmonize
with that of Russia, a.s follows : 1 Abaze=
200 Thetri=10 Kopecks. The Kopeck was
again divided into tenths, one of which was
called Phoul or Pid ; plural Phuli.
The modern Persian coinage retains this
piece under the name of Aba.ssi, and the
iuilf is called Senar. In the Afghan coinage
the Abaze is computed at one-third of
the Rial.
Abbey-Pieces. A name given to both
coins and tokens that were is.sued by the
great mona-stic establishments. Some of
these pieces were not coins in the modern
sense, but were intended as Tesserae
Sacrae for use of pilgrims and monks who
travelled from one religious house to another.
Others, however, were legitimate coins,
and the issues of the abbatial mint of St.
Martin at Tours were noted during the
Middle Ages.
Abbesses as well as abbots enjoyed the
privilege of striking coins. The most notal)
le are those of the Frauenmiinster in
Zurich, and the abbeys of Qiu'(lliid)urg,
Ilerford, E.ssen, and Thorn in Brabant.
Abendmahl Pfennige. See Communion
Tokens.
Abenge. Du Gauge mentions this as
being a small coin, the name of which is
found in an agreement dated 1320 between
Philip V of Prance and the Bishop of
Tournaj'. An ordinance of 1330 mentions
"deux soulz uz deniers et une abanque
Parisis, " which is probably the same coin.
Abidi. A name given to the half Rupee
of Mysore by Tipu Sultan, in 1786, when
he adopted his new system of reckoning,
based on the Muludi, i.e., dating from the
birth of the Prophet. The coin is so called
after the fourth Imam, Zainul-abidin, or
Abid Bimar.
Aboudjidid. The name given to certain
cotton fabrics used for currency in Abyssinia;
in some localities it is known as
Stamma.
Abraemos. A gold coin said to have
been struck by the Portuguese for their
possessions in India. See Teixeii'a de
Aragao (iii).
Abschlag. A term used by German
numismatists to indicate a restrike from
an original die. The later impression fre-
(|uently occurs in an entirely different
metal, e.g., Dukaten-Abschliige in silver,
etc.
Absolutionsthaler. The name given to
a medallic Thaler struck by Henry IV of
France in 1595, after his reconciliation
with the Pope. On the obverse of this coin
is a portrait of C'lement VIll, and on the
reverse his own bust.
Abu-Cinco. An Egyptian denomination
to indicate the silver piece of five Francs.
Abukash, or Abukesh. Zanetti (i. 450)
states that this was the name given to the
Thaler of the Low Countries in the Levant
during the seventeenth century. A similar
designation, Aslani, meaning a lion,
was used in the Ottoman Empire to designate
this coin, the allusion being, of course,
to the prominent figure of a lion on the
obverse.
Abu-Mafta. The last word in Egyptian
means a cannon, and this name was applied
to the Spanish Piastre in Egypt, because
the Pillars of Hercules on the reverse were
mistaken for cannon.
Abuquelp, or Griscio. According to
Kelly, this was a current silver coin of
Egypt of the value of twenty Medini.
Abu-tera. The name given in Egypt to
the Levant Dollar {q.v.). It appears to be
an abbreviation of Theresa.
Accolated or AccoUed. See Jugate.
Achaean League Coinage. About B.C.
37U several cities on the southern side of
the Corinthian Gulf banded together as a
means of defence against Macedonian aggression,
and the coins issued by them are
usually referred to by the above name.
The monogram of the League was AX,
which is frequently found on the coins.
The League increased in power circa B.C.
280, and eventually included all of the
Peloponnesian cities, some of which, however,
also struck independently. It ceased
B.C. 146 with the constitution of the Roman
province.
Achesoun or Atkinson. The name sometimes
given to tlie Plack of the first coinage
of James VI of Scotland. It was so called
on account of Thomas Atkinson, who was
master of the Edinburgh mint from 1581
to 161
L
Achtbriiderthaler. The name given to
a series of Thaler struck in Sachsen-
Wcimar circa 1605-1620, with eight bu.sts
of the princes, four on each side. They
were all sons of Duke Johaun Ernst.
Conf. Madai (1478, 1479), who cites a
variety with all the eight portraits on
one side.
Achtehalber, means actually "eight
halves" or four, but popularly "eight less
one half," or seven and a half. The term
was used in Prussia for the piece of two
and a half Silbergroschen which was equal
to seven and a half Schillinge.
Achtelthaler. The name given to a
piece of three Groschen or the one-eighth
of the Ortsthaler. It was common to Saxony,
Brunswick, and other German States
in the seventeenth century. See Ort.
Acht en Twintig. See Guilder.
Achter. A name given to the Mariengroschen
formerly issued in Brunswick,
Hanover, Westphalia, etc., because they
were equal to eight Pfennige instead of the
customary twelve Pfennige.
Achterwiel. A popular Dutch name for
the eui-rcMit silver coin of two and one-half
Gulden.
Achtzehner. See Ort.
Achtzehngrbscher. See TjTnpf.
Ackey. An English colonial silver coin
issued by the African Company on the
Gold Coast in 1796 and 1818. There is a
corresponding half Ackey.
The name is a native term, used as a
monetary standard, denoting twenty grains
of gold dust. See Takoe.
Acrimontana. A general name for coins
struck at the mint of Agramont. These
pieces were current in Catalonia under
James I, king of Aragon (1213-1276), and
in France under Louis XIV. See Blanchet
(i, 165).
Adarkonim. Another name for the
Daric (q.v.).
Adelheidsdenare. A name given to a
variety of Deniers which liave been found
in great quantities in Saxony, though the
exact localities where they were struck
have never been determined.
These coins have on one side a cross and
the name otto, and on the reverse a figure
o# a church and the inscription ateahlht,
or similar, whence the designation. Some
authorities attribute these to Otto I, king
of Germanj- (936-962) and his queen, Adelaide
or Adelheid, while others ascribe them
to Otto 111 during his minority.
Adha. A name given to the half Jlohur
of Nepal, struck by the Malla Rajas in the
seventeenth century. See Fonrobert (2324
et sf(/.) . Sec Suka.
Adha-ani. The one-sixteenth silver Mohur
introduced bj' the Gorkhas in the coinage
of Nepal ; it must not be confused with the Adiiaiii, i.e., the one thirty-seconrl of
the frold Mohur. See Suka.
Adhada. A money of aeeoiiiit of C'utcli
and Kathiawar, and e(|nal to the one
ninety-sixth part of the Kori (qak).
Adheeda. Another name for the silver
eiprht-anna piece of Nepal. See Mehnder-
-Alnlie.
Adhelah. A copper coin of Hindustan
and e(|ual to one-lialf of the Dam (q.V.).
Adlea or Adli. A billon coin, plated
with frokl, issued by Yussuf Paselia in
Tripoli in 1827. It was forced upon the
people as the equivalent of a Spanish Dollar,
but oidy a few days after its introduction
the value of this coin depreciated
over ninety per cent, and it was one of the
factors that led to the revolution of 1832,
which resulted in Yussuf's abdication.
Adier-pfennig, Schilling, etc. The popular
name for an.v coin having the fif^ure
of a double eagle prominently displayed;
e.g., the luimerous issues for Aix-la-Chapelle,
the Thaler, Groschen, and Schillinge
of Bentheim, etc.
Adli. A silver coin of Dehli introduced
by Aluhammad III Ibn Tughlag, A.H. 72.'5
(A.D. 1.324). Its weight was 140 grains,
and it was a substitute for the ohl
Tankahor Kujiee of his predecessors whicli
weighed 17.5 grains. It was discontinued
about A.II. 7.30 and the old standard restored.
Sfr Tliomas ( Nos. 180, 181). Also
a piece of fiftj^ Tankahs used in Hindustan.
See Tankah.
AdI Gutkah. A gold coin of Akbar,
Emperor of Hindustan, aiul valued at nine
Rui)ees. Srr Sihansah.
Adolfsd'or. Tiic name given to the gold
coin of ten Thaler issued bv Adolf Fredrik,
King of Sweden (1751-1771).
Aerosi Nummi. The name given by the
Romans to billon coins (q.r.).
Aes, or more ]iroperly As. A Latin word
of probably Arian origin, meaning bofii
pure copper and a mixture of tin and coj)-
per. The term served afterwards in Rome
as a generic word for every variety of
money.
The earliest types of the Aes are called
the Aes Rude or Aes Infectuni, i.e.. unwrought
copper. Thei'c was no iiionetai-y
unit aiul the weight formed tlie basis of
all exchanges.
Aes Grave (heavy bronze) ; also called
the Aes Lil]i-alis (i.e., pound of bronze),
was the first Roman monetary unit. The
basis was tlie As, wliich in its earliest form
weighed an Oscan—Latin i)oniul of twelve
ounces, derived from a standard originallj'
brought to Italy l)y the Phocaeans. It is of
a lenticular shape and the obverse bears
the portrait of Janus bifrons and the figure
1 as an indication of the value. The reverse
has the prow of a galley, probably
indicative of the mai'itime power of Rome,
wliich had been greatly develoiicd by the
Decemviri (B.C. 4.52-450), to wliich period
thcs(> coins are usually assigned. The best
and latest authorities, however, place them
a century later.
The divisions of the As are the
KciMix iir lalnis, 11 ounces
I>ixtiins i)r Ili'iunx, 10 "
nudniiis or Dodras, 9 *'
lies or lU'ssIs, 8 •'
Si'ptunx, 7 •*
Sfuiis, S<'niissis, or Scxt-iinx. f> "
tjiilncniix, Quirunx. or Cinj;us, .5
Ti-h'ns. Triciito. or Trias, 4
(Jiiadrans. Quadrant, or TiTimda, 3
Sox fans, Si'xtanto, or Sextas, 2 "
Sosciinx, 1 \A *'
TiHla. 1 "
S«'niiin<-ia 'j
"
The midtiplcs arc the l)u|)()ndius, Tri-
|)ondius, and Decussis; all of these are descrilicd
under their respective names.
Tlie As was reduced in weight as follows:
I'riiiiitivv I.ihi-al. n.C. 4r,lt 'I'wi'lvi' onnci'S
S ilihral, ll.C. :i:!S Six ounces
Si'xiMiilal. li.C. 2(>S Two iiiinci's
fncial. B.C. 217 One nnnco
Scnii-fniial. 1?.C. 89 Half of an ounoe
Aes Rude. The name given to the primit
ivr and shajielcss pieces of bronze used
by the Romans as money previons to the
Aes Signatum (q.v.).
Aes Signatum. The second tyi)c of the
Aes, so called because rude stamps or marks
are to be found on it, signifying the weight
and an approximate value. These are of
olilong. sqiiaiv, and oval shapes. They are
generally supposed to have originated in
the i-cign of Servius Tullius (B.C. 578-
•'):{5), but are moi-e likely of the 5th and
4tli ccntui'ics B.C.
Aetolian League. See League Coinage.
Affonsim. Si i' Gro.s.so Affonsim.
Affonso de Ouro. Another name for the
earliest tvpe of Cruzado (q.v.), issued by
Alfonso V of Portugal (1438-1481), and
so called in honor of the ruler.
Afrikanische Pfennige. See Schiffs Dukateii.
Aftaby. A gold coiu of Akbar, Emperor
of Hiiidustau, of the value of ten Rupees.
Sec Sihansah.
Aggio or Agio. A term used more in
banking than in numismatics to indicate the
fluctuations of exchange rates, i. e., the
actual value of a coin as compared with its
current exchange value.
Agnel (plural Agneaux). A French
gold coin first issued under Philip IV in
Jaiuiary, 1310. It is the French form of
the Agnus Dei (q.v.), with similar designs
and inscriptions. The Agnel was struck in
France until the period of Charles VI
(1380-1422). ^Ve Denier d'Or, Gouden
Lam, and Mouton.
Agnus Dei. A silver coin of Castile
issued \)y John I (1379-1390) and struck at
Toledo, Burgos, and Seville. The obverse
sliows the Paschal Lamb, and on the reverse
is a large crown. The inscription reads:
"Agnus Dei Qui Tolis Pecate Mundi
Miserc Nobis," referring to the words in
the Cospel of St. John ("i: 29). Sec Agnel.
Agod. The name given to the half Talari
piece of Abyssinia. See Ber.
Agontano. See Anconitano.
Agostaro. Sec Augustalis.
Aguglino. Tlie popular name for the
Aquiiino {q. v.).
Aguila de Oro. Tlic name given to a
variety of the Dobla de los Excelentes, or
doubh! Exceleiite, issued in the i-eign of
Ferdinand and Isabella (1474-1516). It
has on the reverse the armorial shields of
Castile, Leon, Aragon, and Sicily supportcil
by an eagle with wings extended.
Ahmadi nr Ahmedi. Tlie name given
t(i the gold Mohur of Mysore, by Tipu Sultan,
when he adopted his new system of
reckoning, based on the Muludi, dating
from 1lic bii-th of the Proj)het.
Airgead. A Caelic word meaning silver;
but Simon, in liis Essay on the Coins
of Ireland, doubts that it was ever applied
to coins of this metal. Bonn Airgead,
or Aii-gid, means a silver medal. See Bonn.
Akahi Dala. The name of the silver
coins issued for the Hawaiian Islands
under Kalakaua 1. 'I'liey are all dated
[
1883 and represent the value of a silver
dollar of the United States.
Akcheh, or Othmany. A small Turkish
silver coin, the onl.y piece issued by Urkhan,
the son of Othman I, when he inaugurated
the Ottoman coinage, A. 11. 729.
When the C4hrush was introduced, A.H.
10!)9, it was divided into fifty Akchehs,
but the relation of the two coins constantly
altered. Lane-Poole states, Awm. Chronicle,
3d Series (ii: 175-176), that "at first
50 Akchehs went to the Ghrush, then 40,
sometimes as many as 80, and finally, in
A.H. 1138, as many as 120 Akchehs went
to the new Turkish unit. This last figure,
however, is perhajis explained by the fact
that another small silver coin, the Para,
had come into existence . . . and eventually
usurped the place of the Akcheh."
See Para.
In the Tunis currency this coin had the
same value as the Asper, i.e., the fourth
part of the Kharub.
Akhtar. A name given to the copper
five-cash piece of Mysore, by Tipu Sultan,
in 1792, after the adoption of his new
system of reckoning. This system was begun
in 1786, and was based on the Muludi,
i.e., dating from the birth of the Prophet.
The name is the Arabic designation of the
word "Star."
Alamgiri. A small copper coin formerly
current in the Deccan principality.
It was valued at one sixty-fourth of the
Chaiidor I\U]iee.
Albansgulden. A name given to the
gold coins issued by the Kinghts of St.
Alban at Mainz, who received the privilege
of striking coins from the Emperor
Maximilian I in 1518. The number was
limited and they were distributed to the
members of the Order on St. Martin's Day
(November 11), and are conse(piently
sometimes referred to as Martinsgulden.,
They bear on one side a figui'e of St. Alban
holding his head in his hand.
Alberetto, or Albero, meaning a tree,
was I lie popular nanu; for the copper
Baiocco struck bj^ tlie Roman Republic in
1797. The obverse has the lictor's fasces
surmounted by a Phrygian cap, which
lieai' a fanciful resemblance to a tree.
Albertin. A giild coin issued for Brabant,
Touruay, Flanders, etc., which obtains its name from Albert, Archduke of
Austria {ir)i)S-l()21 ), who was governor of
the Netherlands. Tlie obverse bears Ids
l)ust, t()fz:etlier with tiiat of his consort
Elizabetii, and on tlie reverse is tlie cross of
Huriiriiiidy, in tlie an>;h's of which are disposed
the fi^'iires of the date.
Albertusthaler. A silver coin struck
for the Low ('ouidries by Albert, Archduke
of Austria, aiul of the same design as the
Albcrtin {q.v.). From the Burgundy cross
on the reverse these i)ieces arc also called
Krcuzthaler and Burgundcrthaler. Their
value was three (Jidden or fifty Patards.
The coin was copied in llolstcin, Brunswick,
Brandcnbui'g, etc. Those of Frederick
II bear the inscription nach dem fvs
PER ALBEKTVS THALEii, and tliosc of Frederick
William 11, struck in 1797, read, ad
NOKMAM TALEROKUM ALBERTi. Corresponding
smaller silver coins of the same design
as the Albertusthaler were called respectively
Albertusgulden and Albertusgrosehen.
Albulo, or Albulo del San Pietro. A
base silver coin of Lucca issued during the
Kepublican nde (1309-1805). It has, on
tlie reverse, a figure of St. Peter holding
the keys. The name is the Italian ciiuivalent
for the Albus.
Albus. A billon coin current in Germany
and the Low Countries in the fourteenth
and fifteenth centuries. It was common
in Cologne, Trier, Mainz, llcssen, and
the Palatiiuite, and gradually replaced the
oklcr Turnosgroschen.
The name Grossus Albus, or Weissgroschen
was given to these coins on account
of their white appearance, due to the
silver of which they were composed, and
which compared favorably with other coins
of the same era.
Au even earlier coin was the Denarius
Albus, or Weisspfennig. It is frequently
mentioned in records of the Middle Ages,
and owes its name to its white, shiny apjiearance.
Both of these coins are more or
less synonymous with the French Blanc,
the S])anish Blanco, the Italian Bianco,
and the Wittcn Pennine of the Low Countries.
The later issues of the Albus, however,
hardly deserved the nanu!, as gradually
more and more copper was added to their
[
material, and their color naturally became
(hn-kei-. Sic Raderalbus, and Ueichsalbus.
Alderman. An English slang term for
a lialf crown. An alderman as chief magistrate
is half a king in his own ward, and
tiic half crown is a sort of half king.
Ale-silver. Blount, in his Liiw Dirtioniirii.
Kiill, states that this is the name of
"a Kent or Tribute yearly i)aid to the
Lord Maior of London, by those that sell
Ale within the Cit.v."
Alexander. A gold coin of ten Lei,
issued for Bulgaria luider King Ale.sander
I.
Alexanders. A general name in luoderu
inu'lance for the coins of Alexander the
Great aiul those bearing the type of this
monarch 's coinage. Tlic designation for
these pieces in ancient times was Alc.xandrcioi.
See Babelon, Traitc (i, 482).
Alexandreion. A silver coin of four
Drachiiiai struck circn B.CI. ;U5-310 by
Ptolemy I, king of Egypt.
Alexandrian Coinage. Tiie coinage
sti'iick under the Koman emperors at Alexandria
in Egypt.
Alexandrine Coinage. Tlie coinage
bearing the types of Alexander the Great.
Struck at many mints in Eiii-opean Greece,
Asia Minor, Syria, Babylonia, and North
Africa from B.C. 336 down to the Roman
occnipation. This coinage, while invariably
using the types of Alexander the Great,
sometimes substituted for his name the
name of a ruling king, such as Philip III.
Lysimaclms, Sclcucus, Antiochus, and
others.
Alfonsino. A silver coin of the Carlino
tyi)e issued by Alfonso I of Aragon, wiiile
ruler of Naples and Sicily (144L*-14(i8).
The Alfonsino d'Oro of the same king
was a large gold coin, also known bj' the
name of Dncatone d'Oro.
Alfonso. A term used to indicate the
Spanish gold coin of twenty-five Pesetas,
it having been originally issued under
Alfonso XII, and the portrait of this monarch
is on the obverse.
Alicomo. A silver coin of Ferrara,
issued l)y Duke Hercules 1 (RTl-loOi)),
which receives this name from the figure
of a unicorn on one side. Its value is deteniiiiied
in an ordinance of 1492 as being
equal to twelve Quattrini.
Alliance Coins. A name g;iven to certain
iM.ins of Greece and Asia iliiior, which
were issued by a joint agreement between
two or more cities. See Head (Introduc. §
17).
Among the earliest types of Alliance
pieces are those of the federal coinage of
Rhodes, C'nidns, Samos, and Ephesus, B.C.
:5!l4-::?87. Each bore the type of its city on
the reverse; and on the obverse a figure of
the infant Heracles strangling the snakes,
and the legend STN (for ffuiAiJ.a7.tMv).
Almonds used as money. -See Badam.
Alms Money. .SVr Peter's Pence.
Aloethaler. In 1701 an aloe, which had
been introilnced to Germany a few years
previously, blossomed for the first time,
and in eonnnemoration thereof the Dukes
Rudolph August and Anton Ulrich of
Brunswick-Wolfenbiittel struck a Thaler.
This coin has on one side a figure of
the plant in bloom, with an appropriate
description.
Alpaka. An alloy of copper, zinc, and
nickel, and used in the composition of the
twenty Heller piece of Austria of 1916.
Altilik. A base silver coin of Turkey in
the series of Metalliks; its value is five
Piastres.
Altininck. See Altyn.
Altmishlik, or Double Zolota. A silver
coin of tiie Ottoman Empire of the value
of one and one-half Piastres, or sixty
Paras. Its weight varies from 300 to 41^0
grains. The name is derived from Altmish,
i.e.. sixty. See Utuzlik.
Altun. This word in Turkish signifies
gold, and after the conquest of Constantinople,
Miduimmad II, in A.H. 833, issued
a gold coin named Sultauy Altuu, which,
for brevity's sake, was called Altun.
It was "patterned after the Se(|uin, and,
according to Lane-Poole, Num. Chronicle,
3d Series (ii. 167-168), "was known by
various other names, according to the predominant
foreign commei'cial influence;
—
under western influence it wa.s called
Flury (florin) ; under Persian, Shahy; and
after the ('on(|uest of Egyi>t, the name
Ashrafy, or Siierify, wiiicli iiad been given
to the imi)roved coinage of El-Ashraf i5ai'-
sabay, was transferred to tiie issues of the
Constanlinopolitan mint."
Altyn, sometimes called Altininck, was
a base silver coin of Russia of the value of
three Kopecks or six Dengi, first issued in
1704. The date on the reverse is in Slavonic
characters, and three dots or bosses
are usuallv found upon this side of the
coin, indicative of the value. The coinage
of tliese pieces was discontinued in 1736.
Aluminium, or Aluminum. A grayishwhite
metal rescndjling silver in color but
of much lighter sjiecific gravity. It is used
extensively for tokens and medals, but the
employment of it for actual coins has
proved rather unsatisfactory.
For British East Africa and Uganda
aluminium Cents and half Cents have been
issued, and a one-tenth Penny was struck
for Nigeria in 1907 in the same metal. It
has also been employed as a money of
necessity by Germany in 1916-1917.
Ambrosino. A name given to both a
gold and a silver coin of Milan, struck
under the first Republic (1250-1310), and
retained by the Sforzas to the end of the
fifteenth century.
They obtain their name from St. Ambrosius,
the patron saint of the city, who
is generally rei)resented standing, but
sometimes on liorseback, with a whip in
his hand, which is supposed to have reference
to Christ's driving the moneychangers
out of the temple. See Cahier,
Character istiques des Saints dans I'Ari
Populaire (ii. 429), and Jameson, Sacred
and Lrgcndarii Art (i. 395).
Amedeo d'Oro. The popular name for
the gold Lira, of the value of ten Seudi,
issued by Victor Amedeus I of Savoy at
the Turin mint in 1633. See Beato Amedeo.
Amoles. A name given to the salt money
of Abyssinia which was used as a circulating
medium for smaller monetary transactions
to the west of Gondar. This
I'urrency appears to have been in the form
of blocks of rock-salt, about eight inches
long by one and one-half inches in breadth,
anil of a value of from two to three pence
each. It is described by Poville, Les Monnaies
de I'Ethiopic, and is mentioned as
early as 1625 in the works of Don Alonzo
Meiidez, patriarch of Abyssinia, who travci'scd
the country, and says: "The boun-
(hii-y between the kingdoms of Daucali and
Tygre is a plain, four days' journey in
length and one in breadth, which they call the country of salt, for there is fouiul all
that they use in Ethiopia, instead of
money; being bricks almost a span long
and four fingers thick anil broad, and wondcrfull\-
white, fine and iiard, and there
is never any miss of it, though they carry
away never so nnu-h ; and tliis quantity is
so great that we met a caravan of it,
wherein we believed there could be no less
than 600 beasts of burden, camels, mules,
and asses, of which the camels carry 600
of those bricks, and the asses 140 or 150,
and these continually going and coming.'"
For the purchasing powers of the Amole,
or Emol, as it is sometimes called, see an
interesting contribution by A. Tliouison
D'Abbatlie to the Niiniisinatic Chrunicle
(Vol. 11. 1S39-1840). :Sce also Wakea and
Salt, infra.
Amulets. Tlie name given to certain
coins or medals that are supposed to have
talLsmanic qualities attached to them, sucli
as warding off evil, disease, accidents, etc.
There are a large number of Chinese and
Korean pieces known as Amulet coins.
Ana, Ani. See Anna.
Ana Ichi Sen. See Kagami Ya Sen.
Anandaramen. A gold coin of Travancore
of double the weight of the Fanam.
This coin appears to have been struck under
Rama Riija (1758-17'JS). -See Elliot
(pp. 138-139).
Anchor Pieces. The name given to a
series of silver coins struck in 1822 luider
George IV of England for general use in
the West Indies, Canada, and Mauritius.
The issue consisted of a half, <piarter,
eighth, and si.xteenth of a dollar; on the
reverse is an anchor, crowned, between
the figures of value and the inscription
:
roLONiAR BErrAN MONET. See Breton (857-
860).
Anchors. Ilesychius states that the
Cypriotes called their Triobols "anchors."
As no ancient money of C'yprus bears the
type of an anchor, 8i.\ has believed that
we should conclude that the coins called
Anchors were something very different
from ordinary money ; Babelon, on the
other hand, thinks there were very ancient
pieces of a primitive epoch, and of snudl
size, which were auchor-sha])cd, liaving
flukes or recurving arms ; for it is impossible tiuit tlie anchor of any ve.s.sel, however
small, should have had only the value
of a triol)ol, as Ilesychius tells us.
Anconitano, or Agontano. The name
frci|nciitly uscil to dcscrilM' a variety of
(Irosso sti-uck at Ancona in tlie thirteenth
century, and of the value of twelve Denarii.
In 1476 Si.xtus IV reduced the
value of tliis coin from ten to eight (juat-
1i-ini, and in 1498 Pope Alexander \'l
issued an ordinance nudving tiie Anconitano
oiu'tiiird of tlie Carlino in weiglit and
equal 111 two and onc-lialf l>olcp;:iiini in
v.ilue.
Andreas Ducat. A guld coin of Russia,
of tiie value of two gold Rubles, struck
under a ukase of February 14, 1718, and
continued luitil 1730. These coins bear
the figui'c of the Saint on a ei'oss, copied
fi-om tlie design on the Order of St. Andrew,
which was instituted by Peter I in
1 (iitS.
Andreas Thaler. A silver coin issucil by
Ernst V of llolinstein (ir)()8-ir)o2), which
leceives its name from the figure of the
Saint on the reverse, and the inscription
SANTVS ANDREAS.
The coins of the Dukes of IJruiiswick-
Liinelnirg, whicli are also called Andreas
Thaler, take this mime from the mines at
Andreasberg in the liar/. Mountains fnnn
which the silver was obtained for coining
them. See also under St. Andrew and St.
Andries, infra.
Smaller efiins of siiiiihir design are
known as Andreas (iuldeii, Andreas Pfeniiige,
etc.
Anepigrafa. An Italian term for a coin
which has no legend, as, e.(j., certain types
of the half Bezzo, which have only figures
and no inscription whatever.
Anepigraphic Coins. A genei'al term
for coins without inscriptions. See Monnaies
Muettes.
Ange d'Or. A large French gold coin
first stinick under Philip VI of Valois
(1328-1350). It receives its name from the
crowned angel on tiie obverse, who is representeil
seated under a canojiy, his feet
over a dragon, holding in one hand a long
cross and in the other a shield with the
fleurs de lis.
Angel. An English gold coin, first
struck by Edward IV in 1470. It received
its name from the design on the obverse,
which represents the archangel Micliael,
standing with his left foot upon a dragon,
and piercing him through the mouth wutli
a spear.
On tiie reverse is a ship, and tlic original
inscription reads, per crucem tuam salva
Nos cHRisTE REDEMPTOR ("By thy cross
save us O Christ, our Redeemer"). The
Angel succeeded the Noble {q.v.), and was
not coined after 1634:.
Tliis coin was tlie one used for "touching
for the King's Evil," probably on account
of its religious inscriptions. See
Touclipiece. Tyler, in his History of Scotland,
1864 (ii, 390), cites an Inventory of
Jeirels of tlie year 14SS in wliich are mentioned
"Twa hundredth four score and V
angelis," and Shakespeare, in The Merry
Wives of Windsor (i, 3), speaks of "a
legion of angels."
Angelet. A half-Angel. It was of similar
type as tlie preceding and the original
reverse inscription was o crux ave SPES
UNiCA ("Hail, Cross, our only hope").
In the time of Elizabeth the motto had been
changed to an abbreviated form of a
DOMINO PACTUM EST ISTUD ET EST MIRABiLE
IN ocuLis NOSTRis ("This is the Lord's
doing and it is marvellous in our eyes").
The Angelet was discontinued in 1619.
Angelot. A gold coin of the Anglo-
Gallic series corresponding to the Angelet
{q.v.), and as the latter constituted half of
an Angel, so the Angelot was valued at
fifteen Sols or about two-thirds of a Salute
{q.v.).
It was first struck by Henry VI of England
about 1427, with the usual obverse of
St. Michael shiying the dragon. The type
is found on coins of Thorn in Brabant,
issued by the Abbess Margaret of Brederode
(1531-1577) and also occurs on specimens
issued by Henri II of Brederode
(1556-1568), struck at Vianen in Luxemburg.
Under Louis XI of France (1461-1485)
a series of Angelots were issued to commenioi-
ate tlie foundation of tlie Order of
St. :\Iichae1. Sir Hoffmann (7-10).
Angevin. S( r Munnaies Aiigevines.
Anglo-American Money. The general
name given to tlic cuius of the American
.settlements struck by English rulers from
the time of Elizabeth until 1770.
Anglo-Gallic Coins are such as were
issued by the English rulers and princes in
their French territories. The earliest
specimens are the Deniers of Henry II,
which must have been struck previous to
1168, in wliich 3^ear Aquitaine was given
by Henry to his son, Richard I.
The last of the series of Anglo-Gallic
coins are the Tournay Groats of Henry
VIII, issued in 1513.
Angroigne. A billon coin of Burgundy
issued by Philip tlie Good (1419-1467) and
struck at the mint at Auxonne. It has on
the reverse a cross with lions and fleurs de
lis in the opposite angles, and the inscription:
ANSERNA DE AVXONE. ScC Blauchct
(i,394).
Angster. A small base silver coin struck
In various Cantons of Switzerland, but
specially in Luzerne, Sch\vj'z, Appenzell,
Zug, Zurich, Sehaffhausen, and St. Gallen.
They are mentioned as early as 1424, and
in a Miinzbitch, printed at Nuremburg by
Georg Wachter in 1530, the value of the
Angster is stated to be one-fourth of the
Kreuzer. They occur in the coinage as
late as the middle of the nineteenth century,
and retained this value.
The etymology of the name is dubious.
Du Cange (i) states that it is a corruption
of Angesicht, i.e., face or visage. Another
authority derives the name from an
individual named Angst, the master of a
mint in Switzerland.
Ang-tuk. A silver piece struck in Nepal
for currency in Tibet, bj' the Newar King
Java Bhupatindra ]\Ialla Deva in the year
816 of the Newar Era, corresponding to
A.D. 1696. The name Ang-tuk means
"number six," and it is given to the coin
on account of the last figure in the date.
The Tibetans call it Pa-nying Tang-ka, or
"old Nepalese" coinage. It is also known
as the Dung-tang, i.e., "Spear Tang-ka,"
or Dung-tse, i.e., "Spear-point," from the'
trident emblem of the Newar kings, which
is minted on the reverse. It is called a
I\Iohar in Nepal. See Tang-ka, and Conf.
Walsh, Coinage of Tibet, in Memoirs
Asiatic Society of Bengal, 1907 (ii), and
"Wood, in American Journal of Numismatics,
1912.
Ani. A gold coin of Nepal of the value
of one-sixteenth of a Mohur. See Suka,
and Anna.
Animals, especially sheep ami eattle,
were used as basis of exeliaufje in ancient
times. lu Ilouier oxen ai't; fre<|nently
mentioned as the commodity l)y wliieli
other tilings were valned. The ai'mor of
Diomedes was said In lie worth nine oxen,
while that of Glanciis was valned at a
hundred. Iliad (vi). In the saine work it
is stated that the tirst ]irize <riven to the
wrestlers at the (ire<'ian tjames was worth
twelve oxen. «SVc Kufjildi.
Anna. A copper coin of India, the sixteenth
part of a Kn|)ee. It is snlidivided
into four Pice or twelve Pies.
It is referred to carl}- in the eighteenth
century by A. Hamilton, in A New Account
of the Eaat Indici, 1727 (ii, Apj). 8),
who states that "in I'eniral their accounts
are kept in Pice, twelve to an Annoe, sixteen
Annoes to a Kni)ee.
"
Annapolis Coinage. See Chalmers.
Annengroschen. The name given to a
series of silver coins issued in Brunswick,
Hanover, and Hildeslieim at the beginning
of the sixteenth century. They have
a figure of St. Anne standing, who is holding
the Christ child on one arm and the
infant Mai'v on the other.
Annenpfennig. A coi)iier token struck
at Annaberg, Saxony, with the iuserij)-
tion HTLF HEILIGE ANNA.
Annoe. An old form of writing Anna
(q.v.).
Annulet Coinage. A name given to
certain issues in gold and silver of the
])cri<)d of Henry V and Henry VI of England,
on account of the annulet which was
one of the distinguishing characteristics
of the mfiney of these reigns.
Annunciata. The popular name for a
coin of the Gonzaga famil.v, princes of
(iuastalla, which bears on the obverse the
annunciation to the Virgin. It was eipud
to fourteen Soldi and was issued to the end
of the sixteenth century.
The type was copied in 1745 on the
Quadruplo d'Oro of ('harles Emanuel
111, king of Sardinia.
Anselmino. A name given to the double
(liulio issued in Mantua under Vineenzo
1. Gonzaga (ir)87-161o). It was a silver
coin of the value of twenty Soldi and re-
[
eeived this name from the figure of St.
Ansclm on the obverse. See Selmino.
Antoninianus, also called Argenteus Anloninianus,
and Aui'eliamis, is a Roman
double Denarius which takes its name from
M. Aurelius Antoniinis C'aracalla (211-
217), who introduced it. This coin was
distinguished from the Oenarius by the
fact that the Emperor's head bore a
radiated crown, and there is a crescent
under the head of the Enii)ress. It was
originally of modei'ately good silver, but
gradually depreciatetl until at the time of
Gallicnus it was barely more than a silvered
co|)per coin. It was abolished about
the period of Constantino the Great. Tlie
original weight of this coin was 5.4")
granuiies. or about eighty grains.
Ant's Nose Coins. A name given to
certain small copper pellet-like shaped
money of China, convex on one side and
flat on the other. They are generally concetled
to have been in use about B.C. 650-
GOO, and the designation "Ant's Nose
Money" is due, perhaps, to the ancient
practice of burying "valuable ants" with
the dead. "Ghost's Face or Head Money"
is also a]i appellation given to them, no
(l(iul)t on account of their likeness to the
features of a spectre of the nether world.
Their latest cognomen is that of "Metallic
Cowries" in imitation of cowry shells,
whose shape they are supposed to follow
and which were known to be used as a
cui-rency medium in ancient China.
The most common variety is that suj)-
posed to be inscribed with the weight value
Pan Liang, or half Tael. For a detailed
account see Kamsden, Nin)iismatie and
I'hilateiic Journal of Japan, 1914 (iii, 4,
5), and Spink (xxiii, p. 5G4).
Anvoire. Da Cange states that this was
a kind of tribute of twenty-eight Deniers
to be used for the church wlueh the Bishop
of Beauvais exacted from newly married
couples.
Aparas. According to Teixeira de
Ai'agao (iii) this was a Portuguese silver
coin striu'k for their possessions in India.
The word means to cut ofT, or to divide,
Mild the coins consisted of pieces cut from
I lie Piastre and eounterstamped.
Aplus. The Assyrian eipiivalent for the
Greek (Jbol (q.v.)'.
Apollina. The popular name used in
Sicilv for the gold coins of Syracuse of the
period of Agathocles {B.C. 317-310),
which bore on the obverse tlie head of
Apollo.
Apostel Thaler. A silver medallie Thaler
of the Holj' Roman Empire, bearing no
date but issued under Rudolf II (1576-
1612). It is from designs by Christian
Maler, and obtains its name from the
figure of the Savior surrounded by the
symt)ols of tlie twelve apostles.
Appelgulden. A nickname given to the
gold Gulden of the city of Cologne, issued
in the latter part of the fifteenth century
Cappe (No. 1244), on account of the imperial
globe on the reverse, which was frequently
mistaken for an apple.
The name was adopted tlirougliout the
Rhine Provinces and was \ised in the eontemporary
archives. Conf. Paul Josepli
(passim).
Appoints. See Assignat.
Apuliense. The name given to a small
silver coin struck by William II (1166-
1189) for Brindisi, Palermo, etc. The reverse
has usually a palm-tree and the inscription
APVLiENSis. Some varieties are
concave. The value was equal to a Ducato
d'Argento, and divisions of tliree, six, and
twelve were issued called respectively
Tercia or Terzo, Sesto, and Dodicesimo.
Aqdscheh. A silver coin of Egypt, introduced
by Ahmed III (A.H. 1115-1143),
and corresponding to the Asper, or onethird
of the Para.
Aquilino. A silver coin, which, as its
name indicates, bears a large eagle on the
obverse, and is common to a number of
Italian States.
It was issued at Padua during the Republican
period (1200-1318), and from its
size was generally known as the Grosso
Aquilino. At Treviso it was struck hy
Enrico II di Gorizia (1319-1323) ; at Mantua
by the Gonzaga family in the latter
part of the fourteentli century ; and at
Aquila under Joanna II of Durazzo (1414-
1435) and her successors. The last-named
coin was also called CeUa or Trentino and
had a value of half a Paolo. It bore an
eagle witli outstretclied wings, which received
the popular name of Uccello, i.e., a
bird, and this in turn was corrupted to
Cella.
[
Arbaa. A name given to certain base
gdld coins of Egypt of the value of four
Piastres or one-half of the Kairie.
Arbol de Valencia. The billon Deniers
issued by .John I of Aragon (1387-1395),
for Valencia, are so called. See Engel and
Serrure (iii. 1346).
Arcadian League. See League Coinage.
Archaic Coinage. A general name for
tlu' earliest t\ pes of the Greek coins struck
from circa B.C. 700 to B.C. 480. In this
jjeriod "there is a gradvuil development
from extreme rudeness of execution to
more clearly defined forms characterised by
stiffne.ss and angularity of style." This is
tlie first of the art periods according to
Head's classification, and the figures on
tlie coins usually consist of animals, heads
of animals, and human heads in profile.
Archer. A name sometimes given to
both the Persian gold Daric and the silver
Siglos, as these coins bear the figure of a
bowman on the obverse. The term TO^OTat
from an archer, is also used to define these
coins, and tlie.y were known by this latter
name.
Ardha. An Indian word meaning half,
and used in conjunction with denominations
.such as Kakini, Pana, etc. See Pana.
Ardit. A corruption of Ilardi or Hardit
Ardite. A small copper coin of Barcelona
struck by Philip 111 (1598-1621) and
by his successors until the middle of the
eighteenth century. It probabl.y obtained
its name from the fact that on the earliest
types the portrait of the king separated the
two letters A.R. (Aragoniae Rex).
Ardpanchio. A silver coin of Cutch
and Kadiiawar of the value of two and a
lialf Koris. See Panchia.
Arends-Rijksdaalder. A silver Thaler
issued by the I'nited Provinces, Friesland,
etc., in tlie latter part of the sixteenth century.
The name is obtained from the emblem
of the two eagles upon the obverse.
The smaller denominations, the Arends-
Groot and the Arends-Schelling have the
same design. The Thaler was equal to
sixty Groten.
Arenkopf, or Amekopf. A name given
Id the half Pfennig of Goslar, on account of
the eagle's head appearing on the same. These diminutive base silver coins were
issued orifritially in tlie fifteenth eentury;
they are also alluded to hy the nanu's of
Sciierf (f/.r. ) and (Josiar.
Argenteolus. See Ai-fienteus.
Argenteus. Another name for the Denarius,
revived by Dioeletiau and struck
96 to tiie i>ouiid of silver. It was also
ealled Arnnittiis niiiiiitiihis or AnjiHtculus,
and eoutiuued to be struck until the
time of .luiian II the Ai)ostate.
Argenteus. Scr Talari.
Argenteus Antoninianus. Sir Antoiuniaiuis.
Argenteus Aureliatnus. See Antoniniainis.
Argenteus Minutulus. ' So ealled in eontradistiiiclion
to the lai->;ei- Ar^'eideus Antoninianus.
See Argenteus.
Argentine. A jrold coin of the Argentine
Itepuhlic, introduced in IS.SO, and of
tlie value of five Pesos.
Argent le Roy, i.e., the King's silver.
When this term was used in conneetion
with coins issued in Franco during the
Middle Ages it implied that llic metal was
2:5 karats fine. In a document of 1378 the
Grosso of diaries V of France is ealh'd
Argento le Uoy, ])rot)ably on account of
the |)urity of tiie metal.
Argento. In the fifteenth century this
name was ajjplied to silver coins struck
by the I'opes at Avignon and Carpentrasso.
Argenton, oi' Maillechort. The name
given to a mi.xture of nickel, copper, and
zine which constituted the basis of the
Swiss coins of ISSO. See Nickel.
Argentum Dei. Sec Earnest.
Argentum Oscense. See Denarius Oseensis.
Argentum Nigrum. See Billon.
Argurion. A Greek word meaning "a
piece of silver," and so u.sed in the Gospel
of St. Matthew (.wii: 27, xxvi : 15). See
Pieces of Silver.
Arlabaso. See Rollbatzen.
Armellino. A silver coin of the value of
half a Carlino, issued by Fei-dinan<l I of
Aragon, as king of Naples and Sicily ( HoS-
1494). It obtains its name from the figure
of an ermine on the reverse.
The type was copied by his successors,
Alfonso II and Ferdiimnd II, and also by
Francesco Maria 1, Duke of Urbino (1508-
1513). The ermine being mistaken for a
fox (valpe), the coin received the nicklUune
of Volpetta.
Arnaldes, or Amaudin. The name given
to a NMiall base silver coin struck at Agen
in A(piitaine, and supposed to obtain its
name from Arnaldo I of Bonneville, who
was bislu)p of Agen in the eleventh eentury.
Poey d'Avant (ii, 143) ascribes its
oi-igin to Arnaldo de Kovinhan, bishop of
Agen and the first to coin money there in
1217. The same authority (p. 145) cites
an account of the year 1232 in which Arnaldeses
are mentioned as being of slightly
less weight than the Italian coins of the
same pei-iod.
Amekopf. See Arenkopf.
Arnoldus. The ducat of Arnould, Count
of Egniont and Duke of Gueldres (1423-
1472) is so called.
Arrhes. A French expression meaning
money given for the binding of a bargain
aiul corresponding to Earnest (r/.i'.).
In the American Joiiriuil of Numismatics
(xli. 31), there is an extensive description
of the Arrhae, or "tokens of spousage,
" called by the French Deniers pour
epouser.
Arrow Head Money. Arrow heads of
stone or metal have been used by various
primitive people as objects of barter. Although
they may be considered as primitive
money they cannot be classed as
coins. The American Indians and the Japanese
used stone arrow heads for jjurposes
of exchange and the Chinese u.sed bronze
arrow points. Chinese numisnmtists have
.sometimes included these in their works.
See Ramsdeu. There is, however, a specific
instance of an inscribed bronze arrow
point in the Korean series known as Chun
Pei iq.v.).
Arsum. A name applied to any coinage
of base metal resembling billon. Du Cange
states that the etymology is from an old
French word, anls, meaning black.
Arsura. The trial of money by fire, after
it was coined.—Blount, Law Dictionary,
1670.
Artesienne. A general name for tlie
coins, especially Mailles, struck at Artois,
toward the latter part of tlie eleventh century.
Tlie type was copied in Lille, Antwerp,
Brussels, etc. See Blancliet (i, 444,
449), who refers to them by the names of
Artescense and Atrebatensis.
Artig, ]ilural Artiger. A small silver
coin, tlie fractional jiart of a Schilling,
issued l)y the bishops of Dorpat and the
arclibishops of Riga early in tlie sixteenth
century. They also belong to the currency
of the Order of Tjivonia.
Artilucco, or Artiluk. A silver coin of
the Republic of Ragusa issued from 1627
to 1701. It had a value of three Grossetti,
and was copied from tlio Polish Dreigroscher
(q.v.).
The name appears to be taken from the
Turkish woi'd altilule, i.e., six-fold, because
its equivalent in the Ottoman Empire was
six Para. For a detailed account of this
coinage see Resetar, in the Monittshlntf, der
Num. Gesell. in Wien (viii, 18-21).
Aruzzeh, or Tamunah, is a quarter of
a llabbeh or one-fortieth of a Danik, or
one forty-eighth of a Danik (q.v.) of
Khwarizm.
Aryandic Coinage. The name given to
a series of silver coins struck by Aryandes,
a satrap of Egypt, in imitation of the royal
Persian coinage. Darius, from the accoiuit
by Herodotus (iv, 165-167), would
ajjjjcar to have been angry with Aryandes
f(jr issuing silver of excessive purity. No
coins are extant which can be attributed to
this satrap, and Hill suggests that "he
coined sigli with the royal types which
should only have been issued by the royal
mint, and that this was the real reason of
his fall." See Head (p. 845).
As. See Acs Grave.
Asadi Ghrush. Tlie name given by the
Turks to the Austrian Tiialer, and the Rix
Daler of the Low Conntries, which were
the princip.d large silver coins current in
the Ottoman Emi)ire pi-ior to the reign of
.Soleinuui II, who introduced the Ghrush,
or Piastre, in imitation of these coins.
Marsden, liowever (i. 373), quotes Meninski,
that the Utuzlik, or Zolota, a
smaller coin, was "Thalerus llollandicus
floreno Rheuensi aequivalens.
"
[
The confusion is probably due to the fact
that the Piastre and the Utuzlik are of
ncai-ly tlie same size.
Ascanische Pfennige. A variety of
bracteates issued by the Dukes of Anhalt,
who established a mint at Ascania, or Ascaria,
now Ascherslebeu, in the eleventh
century. They are very difficult to classify,
being without inscriptions and corres]
ionding to the Moinuiies Muettes (q.tK).
Aschera. The imme given to the quarter
Piastre in the Egyptian series. It is a base
silver coin of th(> value of ten Paras. The
luime for the half Piastre of the same issue
is Aschreneali. Roth coins were introduced
A.H. 1255 or A.D. 1839.
As'ek. According to R. 0. Temple, in
the Induin Antiquary, 1898 (p. 14), this
name is given to a rough silver casting,
used by the Lao tribes in the northern part
of Siam. It is valued at three Rupees,
though it contains only about one Rupee's
worth of silver.
Ashrafi, or Sherify. A Persian word
meaning "noble," and applied to a gold
coin issued by the Sufi, or Safi, dynasty.
It corresponds in approximate size and
weight to the Dinar and Sequin. The
triple Ashrafi, occasionally struck, received
the name of Muhr-Ashrafi. See Altiui.
Ashrafi. A small silver coin struck by
the Emirs of El Harrar, a pi'ovince of
Abyssinia. About twenty-two of these
were comiinted to a Dollar, though the
value fluctuated under the different emirs.
It was formerly a gold coin.
In the modern Abyssian coinage it is a
monev of account, three being equal to a
Talari.
Asht. A silver coin of India and equal
to one-eighth of a Rupee. See Sihansah.
Aslani. See Abukash.
Asmani, or Usmani. A name given tO
the copper fortj'-cash piece of Mysore, by
Ti|ni Sultan, in 1789, after the adoption
of his new system of reckoning. This system
was begun in 1786, and based on the
Miiludi, /.('., dating from the birth of the
Pro])liet. The coin is so called after
'Usman-ibn-'Affan, the third khalifa. See
Mushtari.
Asper, or Aspre. A billon coin of the
value of oiu;-third of a Para formerly current in Turkey and Asia Minor. It weighs
from two to three <;raiiis.
The name appears to be derived from the
aj'^rpo;, of the modern Greeks, being
"wiiite" money, as (listin<,Miished from the
copper.
In the Tunis currently tlie Asper is divided
into twelve Hourbes.
Tlie name is also >;iven to a silver eoin
current in Rhodes in the fourteenth century
and later. It was issued by the
Knights of St. John of Jerusalem, and is
tiie same as the Denier of Western Europe.
There is a series of them struck at Trebizond,
under the C'ommenes, from Manuel
I {12:i8-l !>(;:!) to Alexis IV (1417-1447),
and fhe\- W(>re copied in Georgia under
Georgi VIII (1452-1469).
In 1492 it was computed in Venice at 20
Tornesi, and in 1677 it was coined in the
Republic of Genoa for the Levantine trade.
Asprione. Du Gange cites ordinances
which intlicatc that this was a name given
to the Soldo d'Oro struck at the mint of
Ravenna.
Assarion. The Greek diniiiiutive I'orni
of the Latin word As (r/.c).
Auarius. The fourth part of the Follis
(q.v.). It was introduced by Diocletian,
and eorrcs|)()nds to the Dekaniuiiinion of
the Byzantine Empire.
Assignat. The name given to a species
of i)ai)er money first issued in France pursuant
to an order of t^he National Assembly
of April 19, 1790. The Republic issued
them in denominations from 10, ()()() Livres
to 5 Livres, as well as a smaller currency
called Appoints as low as ten Sous.
As there was an inade(iuate gold or silver
redemption fund their value soon depreciated
to one-sixth of their original
worth. By an order of the Directorate of
February 19, 1795, they were abolished,
and the holders were permitted to exchange
them for a new variety of jiajx'!' money
called the .Mandat. This also became
worthless in a short time.
Essays of Assignats foi- 100, 51), 25, and
5 Livres struck in white metal and copper
were is.sued in 1791.
Assis. The Roman As {q.v.}.
Assis, plural Asses. A base silver coin
of the value of six Kreuzer i.ssued in Ba,sle,
Stra.sburg, and Luxemburg during the
seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.
In the Luxemburg coinage it represents
a Sol or Sou, and a necessity piece of 72
Asses was issued during the siege of Luxemburg
bv the French, in 1795. See Mailliet
(73, 1).
Atia. A copper coin struck for the Portuguese
Indies at Din, with a corresponding
half. The issue ajipears to have been
begun under Jose|)h I about 1750 and was
continueil until 1851. The reverses usually
exhibit a cross with the foui- figures of the
date in the angles. The value of the Atia
was fifteen Reis or twenty Bazaruccos.
Atkinson. Sec Achesoun.
Atmah. A gold eoin of Akbar, Empei'o)-
of Hindustan, ecjual to one-fourth of
the Siliansah (q.v.).
Atrebatensis. See Artesienne.
Atribuo. Sec Judenpfennige.
Atsida, plural Atsidor or Atsidorna. Ati
ex))ressiou used by Swedish numismatists
to signify the obverse of a eoin or medal.
It is a compound word meaning "the side
toward the pcrsoJi. " Sec Fransida.
Alt. A Siamese copper coin, the sixtyfourth
part of the Tical (q.v.). In the
foi'mer Cambodian coinage the Att represented
the one four-hundredth of the Tical.
Attesaal. In the constitution of Erik
\'
1 1 of Denmark, 1269, this monetary denomination
is mentioned, and Du Cange
states that it was current for a Trcmissis,
oi- thii'd |)art of a Solidus.
Aubonne. The name given to a variety
of Ecu struck for Lorraine and Bar, by
^lousieur d "Aubonne, the director of the
mint from 1724 to 1728. Sec De Saulcy,
(PI. xxxii).
Auferstehungsthaler, i.e.. Resurrection
Thaler. Sif Scliiualkaldischer Bundesthaler.
Augslups Polleten. Sec Polleten.
Augustalis. A gold coin i.ssued by the
iMuperor Frederick II as king of the Two
Sicilies. They were struck at Brindisi from
1197 to 1220, and were valued at one and
a ([uarter gold Gulden. The design on
these pieces is copied from the Roman Aurei; the Emperor's head is laureated,
and he is clothed in Roman costume, from
which fact they derive their name. Italian
numismatists refer to this coin by the
name of Agostaro.
August d'Or. A gold coin of Saxony,
struck originally by the electors and later
by the king. It was a variety of the Pistole
or five-Thaler gold piece. The
Ephraim d'Or, a type issued by Frederick
the Great, at Leipzig, from 1756 to 1758
was greatly inferior and contained only
about one-third the (luantity of gold of
the regidar Pistoles. See Bphraimiten.
Augustos, or Augustari. A name given
to such coins as bear the figure of the
bishops of Augsburg, i.e., Augusta Vindeliconni.
These ecclesiastics struck coins
after 1402. See Blanchet (ii, 92).
Aur. The Icelandic equivalent for the
Scandinavian Ore (q.v.).
Aurelianus. See Antoninianus.
Aureola, plural Aurelii. An ordinance
of the mint of -Venice of 1178 reads fu
sfampata moneta d'argenfo noinuiata
Aurelii. The value of these coins was computed
at two Soldi, but no specimens are
known to exist.
Aureus. The best known of the Roman
gold coins. It succeeded the Scripulum,
and appeared toward the end of the Republic,
when Sulla in B.C. 87, Pompey in
B.C. 81, and Julius Cffsar in B.C. 46,
issued a military gold coinage. This series
forms part of the Nummi Castrenses (q.v.).
The regular coinage of the Aurei began
under .Julius Ca-sar, and their value was
twenty-five Denarii. The weight of the
Aureus gradually declined, and it was
finally abolished when Constaiitine the
Great established the Solidus.
Under Augustus quadruple Aurei called
Quaterniones were issued.
Originallv the Aureus was struck at the
proportion" of 42 to the Roman pound
(327.45 grammes) but its weight gradually
tended to diminish, the reduction being
approximately as follows:
In the time of Augustus the Aureus was
one forty-second of a po\ind, i.e.. 120. :{
grains; in the time of Nero, one forty-fifth
of a pound, i.e., 113.5 grains; in the time
of Caracalla, one-fiftieth of a pound, i.e.,
101.05 grains; in the time of Gallienus,
one sixtieth to one-seventieth of a pound,
i.e., 84 to 72 grains.
Aureus Regalis. See Royal d'Or.
Aurum. The Latin generic term for
money.
Aurum ad Obrussam. See Obryziim.
Aurum Excoctum. 6'ee- Excoetum and
Oliryzum.
Ausbeutemiinzen. The name given to
both "Old and silver coins and implying the
product of a local mine. The earliest specimen
is probably the Saxon Ausbeutethaler
of St. Katharinenberg, dated 1505.
The various Dukes of Brunswick resorted
to tliis practice extensively, and it was
common in other German states as well as
in France, Scandinavia, etc.
Tlie Ausbeutethaler frequently bear
views of the mines or allusions to the place
of striking. In many eases they have distinctive
mottoes, e.g.. das L.\Nn die fruchte
BRiNGT., etc. The Isargold Dukaten and
the Rheingold Dukaten struck from the
product of washings in these rivers are
also classed with the Ausbeutemiinzen.
A third variety are such pieces as bear a
motto invoking a blessing on the mining
operations. These are known as Bergsegensthaler
and occur for Mansfeld, the
Harz Mountains, etc.
Auswurf Miinzen. Sec Maundy Money.
Autonomous Coins. A name given to
coins struck by such cities and territories as
required no external authority to issue
them. They ai-e common in the Greek
series and to some extent in the Roman;
but the provinces of the latter empire
were usually restricted to the extent that
they were permitted to strike only in copper.
Avers, from the Latin adversiis, i.e.,
facing. The same as obverse {q.v.). The
term is used as early as the year 1715 in
the catalogue of an auction sale of coins
held at Gotha in Saxony. -See Berliner
MihKbliitlrr (No. 141).
Awpenny. See Half-Penny.
Axe Money. The common name for a
r\i(lc Clipper currency used by the Mexican
Indians. The native name is Sicca, or Sici-
apili ((/.('.). The shape of these pieces
rcsciubles an axe, about twenty by forty
millimetres.
Aydans. A variety of base silver de- Azzalino. The name given to a Testone
iiicrs issued in Flanders during the fif- issued by the Paleologi at Casale during
teentli eentury. Du Cange eites an ordi- the fourteenth eentury. The word is a
naiK-e of 1450 showing that they were corruption of ucciurinu, meaning a steel
struck at Liege and that .twenty were com- for striking fire, this device occurring on
puted to tlie Florin. the coin. For a similar emblem, see Briquet.
Teixeira de Arajjao (iii) and claimed to
have been formerly in use botli in Portuguese
India and in the Portuguese possessions
in East Africa.
Abanque. See Abenge.
Abassi. See Abbasi.
Abaze. See Abbasi.
Abbasi. A Persian silver coin which
takes its name from Shah Abbas I (A. II.
996-1038=1587-1629). It was divided
into two Mahmudis, or four Shahis, or ten
Bisti.
In the Georgian series tlie Abbasi was
introduced in the reign of Theimouraz II
(1744-1762), and had a value of ten Bisti.
The half Abbasi, called Chaouri or Schauri,
Langlois (No. 67), Fonrobert (4288, 4303)
appeared in 1779 under Ereele (Hercules)
II.
With the Russian occupation of Georgia
under Alexander I, beginning in 1801, this
eoin received the name of Abaze or Rial,
and the currencj- was made to harmonize
with that of Russia, a.s follows : 1 Abaze=
200 Thetri=10 Kopecks. The Kopeck was
again divided into tenths, one of which was
called Phoul or Pid ; plural Phuli.
The modern Persian coinage retains this
piece under the name of Aba.ssi, and the
iuilf is called Senar. In the Afghan coinage
the Abaze is computed at one-third of
the Rial.
Abbey-Pieces. A name given to both
coins and tokens that were is.sued by the
great mona-stic establishments. Some of
these pieces were not coins in the modern
sense, but were intended as Tesserae
Sacrae for use of pilgrims and monks who
travelled from one religious house to another.
Others, however, were legitimate coins,
and the issues of the abbatial mint of St.
Martin at Tours were noted during the
Middle Ages.
Abbesses as well as abbots enjoyed the
privilege of striking coins. The most notal)
le are those of the Frauenmiinster in
Zurich, and the abbeys of Qiu'(lliid)urg,
Ilerford, E.ssen, and Thorn in Brabant.
Abendmahl Pfennige. See Communion
Tokens.
Abenge. Du Gauge mentions this as
being a small coin, the name of which is
found in an agreement dated 1320 between
Philip V of Prance and the Bishop of
Tournaj'. An ordinance of 1330 mentions
"deux soulz uz deniers et une abanque
Parisis, " which is probably the same coin.
Abidi. A name given to the half Rupee
of Mysore by Tipu Sultan, in 1786, when
he adopted his new system of reckoning,
based on the Muludi, i.e., dating from the
birth of the Prophet. The coin is so called
after the fourth Imam, Zainul-abidin, or
Abid Bimar.
Aboudjidid. The name given to certain
cotton fabrics used for currency in Abyssinia;
in some localities it is known as
Stamma.
Abraemos. A gold coin said to have
been struck by the Portuguese for their
possessions in India. See Teixeii'a de
Aragao (iii).
Abschlag. A term used by German
numismatists to indicate a restrike from
an original die. The later impression fre-
(|uently occurs in an entirely different
metal, e.g., Dukaten-Abschliige in silver,
etc.
Absolutionsthaler. The name given to
a medallic Thaler struck by Henry IV of
France in 1595, after his reconciliation
with the Pope. On the obverse of this coin
is a portrait of C'lement VIll, and on the
reverse his own bust.
Abu-Cinco. An Egyptian denomination
to indicate the silver piece of five Francs.
Abukash, or Abukesh. Zanetti (i. 450)
states that this was the name given to the
Thaler of the Low Countries in the Levant
during the seventeenth century. A similar
designation, Aslani, meaning a lion,
was used in the Ottoman Empire to designate
this coin, the allusion being, of course,
to the prominent figure of a lion on the
obverse.
Abu-Mafta. The last word in Egyptian
means a cannon, and this name was applied
to the Spanish Piastre in Egypt, because
the Pillars of Hercules on the reverse were
mistaken for cannon.
Abuquelp, or Griscio. According to
Kelly, this was a current silver coin of
Egypt of the value of twenty Medini.
Abu-tera. The name given in Egypt to
the Levant Dollar {q.v.). It appears to be
an abbreviation of Theresa.
Accolated or AccoUed. See Jugate.
Achaean League Coinage. About B.C.
37U several cities on the southern side of
the Corinthian Gulf banded together as a
means of defence against Macedonian aggression,
and the coins issued by them are
usually referred to by the above name.
The monogram of the League was AX,
which is frequently found on the coins.
The League increased in power circa B.C.
280, and eventually included all of the
Peloponnesian cities, some of which, however,
also struck independently. It ceased
B.C. 146 with the constitution of the Roman
province.
Achesoun or Atkinson. The name sometimes
given to tlie Plack of the first coinage
of James VI of Scotland. It was so called
on account of Thomas Atkinson, who was
master of the Edinburgh mint from 1581
to 161
L
Achtbriiderthaler. The name given to
a series of Thaler struck in Sachsen-
Wcimar circa 1605-1620, with eight bu.sts
of the princes, four on each side. They
were all sons of Duke Johaun Ernst.
Conf. Madai (1478, 1479), who cites a
variety with all the eight portraits on
one side.
Achtehalber, means actually "eight
halves" or four, but popularly "eight less
one half," or seven and a half. The term
was used in Prussia for the piece of two
and a half Silbergroschen which was equal
to seven and a half Schillinge.
Achtelthaler. The name given to a
piece of three Groschen or the one-eighth
of the Ortsthaler. It was common to Saxony,
Brunswick, and other German States
in the seventeenth century. See Ort.
Acht en Twintig. See Guilder.
Achter. A name given to the Mariengroschen
formerly issued in Brunswick,
Hanover, Westphalia, etc., because they
were equal to eight Pfennige instead of the
customary twelve Pfennige.
Achterwiel. A popular Dutch name for
the eui-rcMit silver coin of two and one-half
Gulden.
Achtzehner. See Ort.
Achtzehngrbscher. See TjTnpf.
Ackey. An English colonial silver coin
issued by the African Company on the
Gold Coast in 1796 and 1818. There is a
corresponding half Ackey.
The name is a native term, used as a
monetary standard, denoting twenty grains
of gold dust. See Takoe.
Acrimontana. A general name for coins
struck at the mint of Agramont. These
pieces were current in Catalonia under
James I, king of Aragon (1213-1276), and
in France under Louis XIV. See Blanchet
(i, 165).
Adarkonim. Another name for the
Daric (q.v.).
Adelheidsdenare. A name given to a
variety of Deniers which liave been found
in great quantities in Saxony, though the
exact localities where they were struck
have never been determined.
These coins have on one side a cross and
the name otto, and on the reverse a figure
o# a church and the inscription ateahlht,
or similar, whence the designation. Some
authorities attribute these to Otto I, king
of Germanj- (936-962) and his queen, Adelaide
or Adelheid, while others ascribe them
to Otto 111 during his minority.
Adha. A name given to the half Jlohur
of Nepal, struck by the Malla Rajas in the
seventeenth century. See Fonrobert (2324
et sf(/.) . Sec Suka.
Adha-ani. The one-sixteenth silver Mohur
introduced bj' the Gorkhas in the coinage
of Nepal ; it must not be confused with the Adiiaiii, i.e., the one thirty-seconrl of
the frold Mohur. See Suka.
Adhada. A money of aeeoiiiit of C'utcli
and Kathiawar, and e(|nal to the one
ninety-sixth part of the Kori (qak).
Adheeda. Another name for the silver
eiprht-anna piece of Nepal. See Mehnder-
-Alnlie.
Adhelah. A copper coin of Hindustan
and e(|ual to one-lialf of the Dam (q.V.).
Adlea or Adli. A billon coin, plated
with frokl, issued by Yussuf Paselia in
Tripoli in 1827. It was forced upon the
people as the equivalent of a Spanish Dollar,
but oidy a few days after its introduction
the value of this coin depreciated
over ninety per cent, and it was one of the
factors that led to the revolution of 1832,
which resulted in Yussuf's abdication.
Adier-pfennig, Schilling, etc. The popular
name for an.v coin having the fif^ure
of a double eagle prominently displayed;
e.g., the luimerous issues for Aix-la-Chapelle,
the Thaler, Groschen, and Schillinge
of Bentheim, etc.
Adli. A silver coin of Dehli introduced
by Aluhammad III Ibn Tughlag, A.H. 72.'5
(A.D. 1.324). Its weight was 140 grains,
and it was a substitute for the ohl
Tankahor Kujiee of his predecessors whicli
weighed 17.5 grains. It was discontinued
about A.II. 7.30 and the old standard restored.
Sfr Tliomas ( Nos. 180, 181). Also
a piece of fiftj^ Tankahs used in Hindustan.
See Tankah.
AdI Gutkah. A gold coin of Akbar,
Emperor of Hindustan, aiul valued at nine
Rui)ees. Srr Sihansah.
Adolfsd'or. Tiic name given to the gold
coin of ten Thaler issued bv Adolf Fredrik,
King of Sweden (1751-1771).
Aerosi Nummi. The name given by the
Romans to billon coins (q.r.).
Aes, or more ]iroperly As. A Latin word
of probably Arian origin, meaning bofii
pure copper and a mixture of tin and coj)-
per. The term served afterwards in Rome
as a generic word for every variety of
money.
The earliest types of the Aes are called
the Aes Rude or Aes Infectuni, i.e.. unwrought
copper. Thei'c was no iiionetai-y
unit aiul the weight formed tlie basis of
all exchanges.
Aes Grave (heavy bronze) ; also called
the Aes Lil]i-alis (i.e., pound of bronze),
was the first Roman monetary unit. The
basis was tlie As, wliich in its earliest form
weighed an Oscan—Latin i)oniul of twelve
ounces, derived from a standard originallj'
brought to Italy l)y the Phocaeans. It is of
a lenticular shape and the obverse bears
the portrait of Janus bifrons and the figure
1 as an indication of the value. The reverse
has the prow of a galley, probably
indicative of the mai'itime power of Rome,
wliich had been greatly develoiicd by the
Decemviri (B.C. 4.52-450), to wliich period
thcs(> coins are usually assigned. The best
and latest authorities, however, place them
a century later.
The divisions of the As are the
KciMix iir lalnis, 11 ounces
I>ixtiins i)r Ili'iunx, 10 "
nudniiis or Dodras, 9 *'
lies or lU'ssIs, 8 •'
Si'ptunx, 7 •*
Sfuiis, S<'niissis, or Scxt-iinx. f> "
tjiilncniix, Quirunx. or Cinj;us, .5
Ti-h'ns. Triciito. or Trias, 4
(Jiiadrans. Quadrant, or TiTimda, 3
Sox fans, Si'xtanto, or Sextas, 2 "
Sosciinx, 1 \A *'
TiHla. 1 "
S«'niiin<-ia 'j
"
The midtiplcs arc the l)u|)()ndius, Tri-
|)ondius, and Decussis; all of these are descrilicd
under their respective names.
Tlie As was reduced in weight as follows:
I'riiiiitivv I.ihi-al. n.C. 4r,lt 'I'wi'lvi' onnci'S
S ilihral, ll.C. :i:!S Six ounces
Si'xiMiilal. li.C. 2(>S Two iiiinci's
fncial. B.C. 217 One nnnco
Scnii-fniial. 1?.C. 89 Half of an ounoe
Aes Rude. The name given to the primit
ivr and shajielcss pieces of bronze used
by the Romans as money previons to the
Aes Signatum (q.v.).
Aes Signatum. The second tyi)c of the
Aes, so called because rude stamps or marks
are to be found on it, signifying the weight
and an approximate value. These are of
olilong. sqiiaiv, and oval shapes. They are
generally supposed to have originated in
the i-cign of Servius Tullius (B.C. 578-
•'):{5), but are moi-e likely of the 5th and
4tli ccntui'ics B.C.
Aetolian League. See League Coinage.
Affonsim. Si i' Gro.s.so Affonsim.
Affonso de Ouro. Another name for the
earliest tvpe of Cruzado (q.v.), issued by
Alfonso V of Portugal (1438-1481), and
so called in honor of the ruler.
Afrikanische Pfennige. See Schiffs Dukateii.
Aftaby. A gold coiu of Akbar, Emperor
of Hiiidustau, of the value of ten Rupees.
Sec Sihansah.
Aggio or Agio. A term used more in
banking than in numismatics to indicate the
fluctuations of exchange rates, i. e., the
actual value of a coin as compared with its
current exchange value.
Agnel (plural Agneaux). A French
gold coin first issued under Philip IV in
Jaiuiary, 1310. It is the French form of
the Agnus Dei (q.v.), with similar designs
and inscriptions. The Agnel was struck in
France until the period of Charles VI
(1380-1422). ^Ve Denier d'Or, Gouden
Lam, and Mouton.
Agnus Dei. A silver coin of Castile
issued \)y John I (1379-1390) and struck at
Toledo, Burgos, and Seville. The obverse
sliows the Paschal Lamb, and on the reverse
is a large crown. The inscription reads:
"Agnus Dei Qui Tolis Pecate Mundi
Miserc Nobis," referring to the words in
the Cospel of St. John ("i: 29). Sec Agnel.
Agod. The name given to the half Talari
piece of Abyssinia. See Ber.
Agontano. See Anconitano.
Agostaro. Sec Augustalis.
Aguglino. Tlie popular name for the
Aquiiino {q. v.).
Aguila de Oro. Tlic name given to a
variety of the Dobla de los Excelentes, or
doubh! Exceleiite, issued in the i-eign of
Ferdinand and Isabella (1474-1516). It
has on the reverse the armorial shields of
Castile, Leon, Aragon, and Sicily supportcil
by an eagle with wings extended.
Ahmadi nr Ahmedi. Tlie name given
t(i the gold Mohur of Mysore, by Tipu Sultan,
when he adopted his new system of
reckoning, based on the Muludi, dating
from 1lic bii-th of the Proj)het.
Airgead. A Caelic word meaning silver;
but Simon, in liis Essay on the Coins
of Ireland, doubts that it was ever applied
to coins of this metal. Bonn Airgead,
or Aii-gid, means a silver medal. See Bonn.
Akahi Dala. The name of the silver
coins issued for the Hawaiian Islands
under Kalakaua 1. 'I'liey are all dated
[
1883 and represent the value of a silver
dollar of the United States.
Akcheh, or Othmany. A small Turkish
silver coin, the onl.y piece issued by Urkhan,
the son of Othman I, when he inaugurated
the Ottoman coinage, A. 11. 729.
When the C4hrush was introduced, A.H.
10!)9, it was divided into fifty Akchehs,
but the relation of the two coins constantly
altered. Lane-Poole states, Awm. Chronicle,
3d Series (ii: 175-176), that "at first
50 Akchehs went to the Ghrush, then 40,
sometimes as many as 80, and finally, in
A.H. 1138, as many as 120 Akchehs went
to the new Turkish unit. This last figure,
however, is perhajis explained by the fact
that another small silver coin, the Para,
had come into existence . . . and eventually
usurped the place of the Akcheh."
See Para.
In the Tunis currency this coin had the
same value as the Asper, i.e., the fourth
part of the Kharub.
Akhtar. A name given to the copper
five-cash piece of Mysore, by Tipu Sultan,
in 1792, after the adoption of his new
system of reckoning. This system was begun
in 1786, and was based on the Muludi,
i.e., dating from the birth of the Prophet.
The name is the Arabic designation of the
word "Star."
Alamgiri. A small copper coin formerly
current in the Deccan principality.
It was valued at one sixty-fourth of the
Chaiidor I\U]iee.
Albansgulden. A name given to the
gold coins issued by the Kinghts of St.
Alban at Mainz, who received the privilege
of striking coins from the Emperor
Maximilian I in 1518. The number was
limited and they were distributed to the
members of the Order on St. Martin's Day
(November 11), and are conse(piently
sometimes referred to as Martinsgulden.,
They bear on one side a figui'e of St. Alban
holding his head in his hand.
Alberetto, or Albero, meaning a tree,
was I lie popular nanu; for the copper
Baiocco struck bj^ tlie Roman Republic in
1797. The obverse has the lictor's fasces
surmounted by a Phrygian cap, which
lieai' a fanciful resemblance to a tree.
Albertin. A giild coin issued for Brabant,
Touruay, Flanders, etc., which obtains its name from Albert, Archduke of
Austria {ir)i)S-l()21 ), who was governor of
the Netherlands. Tlie obverse bears Ids
l)ust, t()fz:etlier with tiiat of his consort
Elizabetii, and on tlie reverse is tlie cross of
Huriiriiiidy, in tlie an>;h's of which are disposed
the fi^'iires of the date.
Albertusthaler. A silver coin struck
for the Low ('ouidries by Albert, Archduke
of Austria, aiul of the same design as the
Albcrtin {q.v.). From the Burgundy cross
on the reverse these i)ieces arc also called
Krcuzthaler and Burgundcrthaler. Their
value was three (Jidden or fifty Patards.
The coin was copied in llolstcin, Brunswick,
Brandcnbui'g, etc. Those of Frederick
II bear the inscription nach dem fvs
PER ALBEKTVS THALEii, and tliosc of Frederick
William 11, struck in 1797, read, ad
NOKMAM TALEROKUM ALBERTi. Corresponding
smaller silver coins of the same design
as the Albertusthaler were called respectively
Albertusgulden and Albertusgrosehen.
Albulo, or Albulo del San Pietro. A
base silver coin of Lucca issued during the
Kepublican nde (1309-1805). It has, on
tlie reverse, a figure of St. Peter holding
the keys. The name is the Italian ciiuivalent
for the Albus.
Albus. A billon coin current in Germany
and the Low Countries in the fourteenth
and fifteenth centuries. It was common
in Cologne, Trier, Mainz, llcssen, and
the Palatiiuite, and gradually replaced the
oklcr Turnosgroschen.
The name Grossus Albus, or Weissgroschen
was given to these coins on account
of their white appearance, due to the
silver of which they were composed, and
which compared favorably with other coins
of the same era.
Au even earlier coin was the Denarius
Albus, or Weisspfennig. It is frequently
mentioned in records of the Middle Ages,
and owes its name to its white, shiny apjiearance.
Both of these coins are more or
less synonymous with the French Blanc,
the S])anish Blanco, the Italian Bianco,
and the Wittcn Pennine of the Low Countries.
The later issues of the Albus, however,
hardly deserved the nanu!, as gradually
more and more copper was added to their
[
material, and their color naturally became
(hn-kei-. Sic Raderalbus, and Ueichsalbus.
Alderman. An English slang term for
a lialf crown. An alderman as chief magistrate
is half a king in his own ward, and
tiic half crown is a sort of half king.
Ale-silver. Blount, in his Liiw Dirtioniirii.
Kiill, states that this is the name of
"a Kent or Tribute yearly i)aid to the
Lord Maior of London, by those that sell
Ale within the Cit.v."
Alexander. A gold coin of ten Lei,
issued for Bulgaria luider King Ale.sander
I.
Alexanders. A general name in luoderu
inu'lance for the coins of Alexander the
Great aiul those bearing the type of this
monarch 's coinage. Tlic designation for
these pieces in ancient times was Alc.xandrcioi.
See Babelon, Traitc (i, 482).
Alexandreion. A silver coin of four
Drachiiiai struck circn B.CI. ;U5-310 by
Ptolemy I, king of Egypt.
Alexandrian Coinage. Tiie coinage
sti'iick under the Koman emperors at Alexandria
in Egypt.
Alexandrine Coinage. Tlie coinage
bearing the types of Alexander the Great.
Struck at many mints in Eiii-opean Greece,
Asia Minor, Syria, Babylonia, and North
Africa from B.C. 336 down to the Roman
occnipation. This coinage, while invariably
using the types of Alexander the Great,
sometimes substituted for his name the
name of a ruling king, such as Philip III.
Lysimaclms, Sclcucus, Antiochus, and
others.
Alfonsino. A silver coin of the Carlino
tyi)e issued by Alfonso I of Aragon, wiiile
ruler of Naples and Sicily (144L*-14(i8).
The Alfonsino d'Oro of the same king
was a large gold coin, also known bj' the
name of Dncatone d'Oro.
Alfonso. A term used to indicate the
Spanish gold coin of twenty-five Pesetas,
it having been originally issued under
Alfonso XII, and the portrait of this monarch
is on the obverse.
Alicomo. A silver coin of Ferrara,
issued l)y Duke Hercules 1 (RTl-loOi)),
which receives this name from the figure
of a unicorn on one side. Its value is deteniiiiied
in an ordinance of 1492 as being
equal to twelve Quattrini.
Alliance Coins. A name g;iven to certain
iM.ins of Greece and Asia iliiior, which
were issued by a joint agreement between
two or more cities. See Head (Introduc. §
17).
Among the earliest types of Alliance
pieces are those of the federal coinage of
Rhodes, C'nidns, Samos, and Ephesus, B.C.
:5!l4-::?87. Each bore the type of its city on
the reverse; and on the obverse a figure of
the infant Heracles strangling the snakes,
and the legend STN (for ffuiAiJ.a7.tMv).
Almonds used as money. -See Badam.
Alms Money. .SVr Peter's Pence.
Aloethaler. In 1701 an aloe, which had
been introilnced to Germany a few years
previously, blossomed for the first time,
and in eonnnemoration thereof the Dukes
Rudolph August and Anton Ulrich of
Brunswick-Wolfenbiittel struck a Thaler.
This coin has on one side a figure of
the plant in bloom, with an appropriate
description.
Alpaka. An alloy of copper, zinc, and
nickel, and used in the composition of the
twenty Heller piece of Austria of 1916.
Altilik. A base silver coin of Turkey in
the series of Metalliks; its value is five
Piastres.
Altininck. See Altyn.
Altmishlik, or Double Zolota. A silver
coin of tiie Ottoman Empire of the value
of one and one-half Piastres, or sixty
Paras. Its weight varies from 300 to 41^0
grains. The name is derived from Altmish,
i.e.. sixty. See Utuzlik.
Altun. This word in Turkish signifies
gold, and after the conquest of Constantinople,
Miduimmad II, in A.H. 833, issued
a gold coin named Sultauy Altuu, which,
for brevity's sake, was called Altun.
It was "patterned after the Se(|uin, and,
according to Lane-Poole, Num. Chronicle,
3d Series (ii. 167-168), "was known by
various other names, according to the predominant
foreign commei'cial influence;
—
under western influence it wa.s called
Flury (florin) ; under Persian, Shahy; and
after the ('on(|uest of Egyi>t, the name
Ashrafy, or Siierify, wiiicli iiad been given
to the imi)roved coinage of El-Ashraf i5ai'-
sabay, was transferred to tiie issues of the
Constanlinopolitan mint."
Altyn, sometimes called Altininck, was
a base silver coin of Russia of the value of
three Kopecks or six Dengi, first issued in
1704. The date on the reverse is in Slavonic
characters, and three dots or bosses
are usuallv found upon this side of the
coin, indicative of the value. The coinage
of tliese pieces was discontinued in 1736.
Aluminium, or Aluminum. A grayishwhite
metal rescndjling silver in color but
of much lighter sjiecific gravity. It is used
extensively for tokens and medals, but the
employment of it for actual coins has
proved rather unsatisfactory.
For British East Africa and Uganda
aluminium Cents and half Cents have been
issued, and a one-tenth Penny was struck
for Nigeria in 1907 in the same metal. It
has also been employed as a money of
necessity by Germany in 1916-1917.
Ambrosino. A name given to both a
gold and a silver coin of Milan, struck
under the first Republic (1250-1310), and
retained by the Sforzas to the end of the
fifteenth century.
They obtain their name from St. Ambrosius,
the patron saint of the city, who
is generally rei)resented standing, but
sometimes on liorseback, with a whip in
his hand, which is supposed to have reference
to Christ's driving the moneychangers
out of the temple. See Cahier,
Character istiques des Saints dans I'Ari
Populaire (ii. 429), and Jameson, Sacred
and Lrgcndarii Art (i. 395).
Amedeo d'Oro. The popular name for
the gold Lira, of the value of ten Seudi,
issued by Victor Amedeus I of Savoy at
the Turin mint in 1633. See Beato Amedeo.
Amoles. A name given to the salt money
of Abyssinia which was used as a circulating
medium for smaller monetary transactions
to the west of Gondar. This
I'urrency appears to have been in the form
of blocks of rock-salt, about eight inches
long by one and one-half inches in breadth,
anil of a value of from two to three pence
each. It is described by Poville, Les Monnaies
de I'Ethiopic, and is mentioned as
early as 1625 in the works of Don Alonzo
Meiidez, patriarch of Abyssinia, who travci'scd
the country, and says: "The boun-
(hii-y between the kingdoms of Daucali and
Tygre is a plain, four days' journey in
length and one in breadth, which they call the country of salt, for there is fouiul all
that they use in Ethiopia, instead of
money; being bricks almost a span long
and four fingers thick anil broad, and wondcrfull\-
white, fine and iiard, and there
is never any miss of it, though they carry
away never so nnu-h ; and tliis quantity is
so great that we met a caravan of it,
wherein we believed there could be no less
than 600 beasts of burden, camels, mules,
and asses, of which the camels carry 600
of those bricks, and the asses 140 or 150,
and these continually going and coming.'"
For the purchasing powers of the Amole,
or Emol, as it is sometimes called, see an
interesting contribution by A. Tliouison
D'Abbatlie to the Niiniisinatic Chrunicle
(Vol. 11. 1S39-1840). :Sce also Wakea and
Salt, infra.
Amulets. Tlie name given to certain
coins or medals that are supposed to have
talLsmanic qualities attached to them, sucli
as warding off evil, disease, accidents, etc.
There are a large number of Chinese and
Korean pieces known as Amulet coins.
Ana, Ani. See Anna.
Ana Ichi Sen. See Kagami Ya Sen.
Anandaramen. A gold coin of Travancore
of double the weight of the Fanam.
This coin appears to have been struck under
Rama Riija (1758-17'JS). -See Elliot
(pp. 138-139).
Anchor Pieces. The name given to a
series of silver coins struck in 1822 luider
George IV of England for general use in
the West Indies, Canada, and Mauritius.
The issue consisted of a half, <piarter,
eighth, and si.xteenth of a dollar; on the
reverse is an anchor, crowned, between
the figures of value and the inscription
:
roLONiAR BErrAN MONET. See Breton (857-
860).
Anchors. Ilesychius states that the
Cypriotes called their Triobols "anchors."
As no ancient money of C'yprus bears the
type of an anchor, 8i.\ has believed that
we should conclude that the coins called
Anchors were something very different
from ordinary money ; Babelon, on the
other hand, thinks there were very ancient
pieces of a primitive epoch, and of snudl
size, which were auchor-sha])cd, liaving
flukes or recurving arms ; for it is impossible tiuit tlie anchor of any ve.s.sel, however
small, should have had only the value
of a triol)ol, as Ilesychius tells us.
Anconitano, or Agontano. The name
frci|nciitly uscil to dcscrilM' a variety of
(Irosso sti-uck at Ancona in tlie thirteenth
century, and of the value of twelve Denarii.
In 1476 Si.xtus IV reduced the
value of tliis coin from ten to eight (juat-
1i-ini, and in 1498 Pope Alexander \'l
issued an ordinance nudving tiie Anconitano
oiu'tiiird of tlie Carlino in weiglit and
equal 111 two and onc-lialf l>olcp;:iiini in
v.ilue.
Andreas Ducat. A guld coin of Russia,
of tiie value of two gold Rubles, struck
under a ukase of February 14, 1718, and
continued luitil 1730. These coins bear
the figui'c of the Saint on a ei'oss, copied
fi-om tlie design on the Order of St. Andrew,
which was instituted by Peter I in
1 (iitS.
Andreas Thaler. A silver coin issucil by
Ernst V of llolinstein (ir)()8-ir)o2), which
leceives its name from the figure of the
Saint on the reverse, and the inscription
SANTVS ANDREAS.
The coins of the Dukes of IJruiiswick-
Liinelnirg, whicli are also called Andreas
Thaler, take this mime from the mines at
Andreasberg in the liar/. Mountains fnnn
which the silver was obtained for coining
them. See also under St. Andrew and St.
Andries, infra.
Smaller efiins of siiiiihir design are
known as Andreas (iuldeii, Andreas Pfeniiige,
etc.
Anepigrafa. An Italian term for a coin
which has no legend, as, e.(j., certain types
of the half Bezzo, which have only figures
and no inscription whatever.
Anepigraphic Coins. A genei'al term
for coins without inscriptions. See Monnaies
Muettes.
Ange d'Or. A large French gold coin
first stinick under Philip VI of Valois
(1328-1350). It receives its name from the
crowned angel on tiie obverse, who is representeil
seated under a canojiy, his feet
over a dragon, holding in one hand a long
cross and in the other a shield with the
fleurs de lis.
Angel. An English gold coin, first
struck by Edward IV in 1470. It received
its name from the design on the obverse,
which represents the archangel Micliael,
standing with his left foot upon a dragon,
and piercing him through the mouth wutli
a spear.
On tiie reverse is a ship, and tlic original
inscription reads, per crucem tuam salva
Nos cHRisTE REDEMPTOR ("By thy cross
save us O Christ, our Redeemer"). The
Angel succeeded the Noble {q.v.), and was
not coined after 1634:.
Tliis coin was tlie one used for "touching
for the King's Evil," probably on account
of its religious inscriptions. See
Touclipiece. Tyler, in his History of Scotland,
1864 (ii, 390), cites an Inventory of
Jeirels of tlie year 14SS in wliich are mentioned
"Twa hundredth four score and V
angelis," and Shakespeare, in The Merry
Wives of Windsor (i, 3), speaks of "a
legion of angels."
Angelet. A half-Angel. It was of similar
type as tlie preceding and the original
reverse inscription was o crux ave SPES
UNiCA ("Hail, Cross, our only hope").
In the time of Elizabeth the motto had been
changed to an abbreviated form of a
DOMINO PACTUM EST ISTUD ET EST MIRABiLE
IN ocuLis NOSTRis ("This is the Lord's
doing and it is marvellous in our eyes").
The Angelet was discontinued in 1619.
Angelot. A gold coin of the Anglo-
Gallic series corresponding to the Angelet
{q.v.), and as the latter constituted half of
an Angel, so the Angelot was valued at
fifteen Sols or about two-thirds of a Salute
{q.v.).
It was first struck by Henry VI of England
about 1427, with the usual obverse of
St. Michael shiying the dragon. The type
is found on coins of Thorn in Brabant,
issued by the Abbess Margaret of Brederode
(1531-1577) and also occurs on specimens
issued by Henri II of Brederode
(1556-1568), struck at Vianen in Luxemburg.
Under Louis XI of France (1461-1485)
a series of Angelots were issued to commenioi-
ate tlie foundation of tlie Order of
St. :\Iichae1. Sir Hoffmann (7-10).
Angevin. S( r Munnaies Aiigevines.
Anglo-American Money. The general
name given to tlic cuius of the American
.settlements struck by English rulers from
the time of Elizabeth until 1770.
Anglo-Gallic Coins are such as were
issued by the English rulers and princes in
their French territories. The earliest
specimens are the Deniers of Henry II,
which must have been struck previous to
1168, in wliich 3^ear Aquitaine was given
by Henry to his son, Richard I.
The last of the series of Anglo-Gallic
coins are the Tournay Groats of Henry
VIII, issued in 1513.
Angroigne. A billon coin of Burgundy
issued by Philip tlie Good (1419-1467) and
struck at the mint at Auxonne. It has on
the reverse a cross with lions and fleurs de
lis in the opposite angles, and the inscription:
ANSERNA DE AVXONE. ScC Blauchct
(i,394).
Angster. A small base silver coin struck
In various Cantons of Switzerland, but
specially in Luzerne, Sch\vj'z, Appenzell,
Zug, Zurich, Sehaffhausen, and St. Gallen.
They are mentioned as early as 1424, and
in a Miinzbitch, printed at Nuremburg by
Georg Wachter in 1530, the value of the
Angster is stated to be one-fourth of the
Kreuzer. They occur in the coinage as
late as the middle of the nineteenth century,
and retained this value.
The etymology of the name is dubious.
Du Cange (i) states that it is a corruption
of Angesicht, i.e., face or visage. Another
authority derives the name from an
individual named Angst, the master of a
mint in Switzerland.
Ang-tuk. A silver piece struck in Nepal
for currency in Tibet, bj' the Newar King
Java Bhupatindra ]\Ialla Deva in the year
816 of the Newar Era, corresponding to
A.D. 1696. The name Ang-tuk means
"number six," and it is given to the coin
on account of the last figure in the date.
The Tibetans call it Pa-nying Tang-ka, or
"old Nepalese" coinage. It is also known
as the Dung-tang, i.e., "Spear Tang-ka,"
or Dung-tse, i.e., "Spear-point," from the'
trident emblem of the Newar kings, which
is minted on the reverse. It is called a
I\Iohar in Nepal. See Tang-ka, and Conf.
Walsh, Coinage of Tibet, in Memoirs
Asiatic Society of Bengal, 1907 (ii), and
"Wood, in American Journal of Numismatics,
1912.
Ani. A gold coin of Nepal of the value
of one-sixteenth of a Mohur. See Suka,
and Anna.
Animals, especially sheep ami eattle,
were used as basis of exeliaufje in ancient
times. lu Ilouier oxen ai't; fre<|nently
mentioned as the commodity l)y wliieli
other tilings were valned. The ai'mor of
Diomedes was said In lie worth nine oxen,
while that of Glanciis was valned at a
hundred. Iliad (vi). In the saine work it
is stated that the tirst ]irize <riven to the
wrestlers at the (ire<'ian tjames was worth
twelve oxen. «SVc Kufjildi.
Anna. A copper coin of India, the sixteenth
part of a Kn|)ee. It is snlidivided
into four Pice or twelve Pies.
It is referred to carl}- in the eighteenth
century by A. Hamilton, in A New Account
of the Eaat Indici, 1727 (ii, Apj). 8),
who states that "in I'eniral their accounts
are kept in Pice, twelve to an Annoe, sixteen
Annoes to a Kni)ee.
"
Annapolis Coinage. See Chalmers.
Annengroschen. The name given to a
series of silver coins issued in Brunswick,
Hanover, and Hildeslieim at the beginning
of the sixteenth century. They have
a figure of St. Anne standing, who is holding
the Christ child on one arm and the
infant Mai'v on the other.
Annenpfennig. A coi)iier token struck
at Annaberg, Saxony, with the iuserij)-
tion HTLF HEILIGE ANNA.
Annoe. An old form of writing Anna
(q.v.).
Annulet Coinage. A name given to
certain issues in gold and silver of the
])cri<)d of Henry V and Henry VI of England,
on account of the annulet which was
one of the distinguishing characteristics
of the mfiney of these reigns.
Annunciata. The popular name for a
coin of the Gonzaga famil.v, princes of
(iuastalla, which bears on the obverse the
annunciation to the Virgin. It was eipud
to fourteen Soldi and was issued to the end
of the sixteenth century.
The type was copied in 1745 on the
Quadruplo d'Oro of ('harles Emanuel
111, king of Sardinia.
Anselmino. A name given to the double
(liulio issued in Mantua under Vineenzo
1. Gonzaga (ir)87-161o). It was a silver
coin of the value of twenty Soldi and re-
[
eeived this name from the figure of St.
Ansclm on the obverse. See Selmino.
Antoninianus, also called Argenteus Anloninianus,
and Aui'eliamis, is a Roman
double Denarius which takes its name from
M. Aurelius Antoniinis C'aracalla (211-
217), who introduced it. This coin was
distinguished from the Oenarius by the
fact that the Emperor's head bore a
radiated crown, and there is a crescent
under the head of the Enii)ress. It was
originally of modei'ately good silver, but
gradually depreciatetl until at the time of
Gallicnus it was barely more than a silvered
co|)per coin. It was abolished about
the period of Constantino the Great. Tlie
original weight of this coin was 5.4")
granuiies. or about eighty grains.
Ant's Nose Coins. A name given to
certain small copper pellet-like shaped
money of China, convex on one side and
flat on the other. They are generally concetled
to have been in use about B.C. 650-
GOO, and the designation "Ant's Nose
Money" is due, perhaps, to the ancient
practice of burying "valuable ants" with
the dead. "Ghost's Face or Head Money"
is also a]i appellation given to them, no
(l(iul)t on account of their likeness to the
features of a spectre of the nether world.
Their latest cognomen is that of "Metallic
Cowries" in imitation of cowry shells,
whose shape they are supposed to follow
and which were known to be used as a
cui-rency medium in ancient China.
The most common variety is that suj)-
posed to be inscribed with the weight value
Pan Liang, or half Tael. For a detailed
account see Kamsden, Nin)iismatie and
I'hilateiic Journal of Japan, 1914 (iii, 4,
5), and Spink (xxiii, p. 5G4).
Anvoire. Da Cange states that this was
a kind of tribute of twenty-eight Deniers
to be used for the church wlueh the Bishop
of Beauvais exacted from newly married
couples.
Aparas. According to Teixeira de
Ai'agao (iii) this was a Portuguese silver
coin striu'k for their possessions in India.
The word means to cut ofT, or to divide,
Mild the coins consisted of pieces cut from
I lie Piastre and eounterstamped.
Aplus. The Assyrian eipiivalent for the
Greek (Jbol (q.v.)'.
Apollina. The popular name used in
Sicilv for the gold coins of Syracuse of the
period of Agathocles {B.C. 317-310),
which bore on the obverse tlie head of
Apollo.
Apostel Thaler. A silver medallie Thaler
of the Holj' Roman Empire, bearing no
date but issued under Rudolf II (1576-
1612). It is from designs by Christian
Maler, and obtains its name from the
figure of the Savior surrounded by the
symt)ols of tlie twelve apostles.
Appelgulden. A nickname given to the
gold Gulden of the city of Cologne, issued
in the latter part of the fifteenth century
Cappe (No. 1244), on account of the imperial
globe on the reverse, which was frequently
mistaken for an apple.
The name was adopted tlirougliout the
Rhine Provinces and was \ised in the eontemporary
archives. Conf. Paul Josepli
(passim).
Appoints. See Assignat.
Apuliense. The name given to a small
silver coin struck by William II (1166-
1189) for Brindisi, Palermo, etc. The reverse
has usually a palm-tree and the inscription
APVLiENSis. Some varieties are
concave. The value was equal to a Ducato
d'Argento, and divisions of tliree, six, and
twelve were issued called respectively
Tercia or Terzo, Sesto, and Dodicesimo.
Aqdscheh. A silver coin of Egypt, introduced
by Ahmed III (A.H. 1115-1143),
and corresponding to the Asper, or onethird
of the Para.
Aquilino. A silver coin, which, as its
name indicates, bears a large eagle on the
obverse, and is common to a number of
Italian States.
It was issued at Padua during the Republican
period (1200-1318), and from its
size was generally known as the Grosso
Aquilino. At Treviso it was struck hy
Enrico II di Gorizia (1319-1323) ; at Mantua
by the Gonzaga family in the latter
part of the fourteentli century ; and at
Aquila under Joanna II of Durazzo (1414-
1435) and her successors. The last-named
coin was also called CeUa or Trentino and
had a value of half a Paolo. It bore an
eagle witli outstretclied wings, which received
the popular name of Uccello, i.e., a
bird, and this in turn was corrupted to
Cella.
[
Arbaa. A name given to certain base
gdld coins of Egypt of the value of four
Piastres or one-half of the Kairie.
Arbol de Valencia. The billon Deniers
issued by .John I of Aragon (1387-1395),
for Valencia, are so called. See Engel and
Serrure (iii. 1346).
Arcadian League. See League Coinage.
Archaic Coinage. A general name for
tlu' earliest t\ pes of the Greek coins struck
from circa B.C. 700 to B.C. 480. In this
jjeriod "there is a gradvuil development
from extreme rudeness of execution to
more clearly defined forms characterised by
stiffne.ss and angularity of style." This is
tlie first of the art periods according to
Head's classification, and the figures on
tlie coins usually consist of animals, heads
of animals, and human heads in profile.
Archer. A name sometimes given to
both the Persian gold Daric and the silver
Siglos, as these coins bear the figure of a
bowman on the obverse. The term TO^OTat
from an archer, is also used to define these
coins, and tlie.y were known by this latter
name.
Ardha. An Indian word meaning half,
and used in conjunction with denominations
.such as Kakini, Pana, etc. See Pana.
Ardit. A corruption of Ilardi or Hardit
Ardite. A small copper coin of Barcelona
struck by Philip 111 (1598-1621) and
by his successors until the middle of the
eighteenth century. It probabl.y obtained
its name from the fact that on the earliest
types the portrait of the king separated the
two letters A.R. (Aragoniae Rex).
Ardpanchio. A silver coin of Cutch
and Kadiiawar of the value of two and a
lialf Koris. See Panchia.
Arends-Rijksdaalder. A silver Thaler
issued by the I'nited Provinces, Friesland,
etc., in tlie latter part of the sixteenth century.
The name is obtained from the emblem
of the two eagles upon the obverse.
The smaller denominations, the Arends-
Groot and the Arends-Schelling have the
same design. The Thaler was equal to
sixty Groten.
Arenkopf, or Amekopf. A name given
Id the half Pfennig of Goslar, on account of
the eagle's head appearing on the same. These diminutive base silver coins were
issued orifritially in tlie fifteenth eentury;
they are also alluded to hy the nanu's of
Sciierf (f/.r. ) and (Josiar.
Argenteolus. See Ai-fienteus.
Argenteus. Another name for the Denarius,
revived by Dioeletiau and struck
96 to tiie i>ouiid of silver. It was also
ealled Arnnittiis niiiiiitiihis or AnjiHtculus,
and eoutiuued to be struck until the
time of .luiian II the Ai)ostate.
Argenteus. Scr Talari.
Argenteus Antoninianus. Sir Antoiuniaiuis.
Argenteus Aureliatnus. See Antoniniainis.
Argenteus Minutulus. ' So ealled in eontradistiiiclion
to the lai->;ei- Ar^'eideus Antoninianus.
See Argenteus.
Argentine. A jrold coin of the Argentine
Itepuhlic, introduced in IS.SO, and of
tlie value of five Pesos.
Argent le Roy, i.e., the King's silver.
When this term was used in conneetion
with coins issued in Franco during the
Middle Ages it implied that llic metal was
2:5 karats fine. In a document of 1378 the
Grosso of diaries V of France is ealh'd
Argento le Uoy, ])rot)ably on account of
the |)urity of tiie metal.
Argento. In the fifteenth century this
name was ajjplied to silver coins struck
by the I'opes at Avignon and Carpentrasso.
Argenton, oi' Maillechort. The name
given to a mi.xture of nickel, copper, and
zine which constituted the basis of the
Swiss coins of ISSO. See Nickel.
Argentum Dei. Sec Earnest.
Argentum Oscense. See Denarius Oseensis.
Argentum Nigrum. See Billon.
Argurion. A Greek word meaning "a
piece of silver," and so u.sed in the Gospel
of St. Matthew (.wii: 27, xxvi : 15). See
Pieces of Silver.
Arlabaso. See Rollbatzen.
Armellino. A silver coin of the value of
half a Carlino, issued by Fei-dinan<l I of
Aragon, as king of Naples and Sicily ( HoS-
1494). It obtains its name from the figure
of an ermine on the reverse.
The type was copied by his successors,
Alfonso II and Ferdiimnd II, and also by
Francesco Maria 1, Duke of Urbino (1508-
1513). The ermine being mistaken for a
fox (valpe), the coin received the nicklUune
of Volpetta.
Arnaldes, or Amaudin. The name given
to a NMiall base silver coin struck at Agen
in A(piitaine, and supposed to obtain its
name from Arnaldo I of Bonneville, who
was bislu)p of Agen in the eleventh eentury.
Poey d'Avant (ii, 143) ascribes its
oi-igin to Arnaldo de Kovinhan, bishop of
Agen and the first to coin money there in
1217. The same authority (p. 145) cites
an account of the year 1232 in which Arnaldeses
are mentioned as being of slightly
less weight than the Italian coins of the
same pei-iod.
Amekopf. See Arenkopf.
Arnoldus. The ducat of Arnould, Count
of Egniont and Duke of Gueldres (1423-
1472) is so called.
Arrhes. A French expression meaning
money given for the binding of a bargain
aiul corresponding to Earnest (r/.i'.).
In the American Joiiriuil of Numismatics
(xli. 31), there is an extensive description
of the Arrhae, or "tokens of spousage,
" called by the French Deniers pour
epouser.
Arrow Head Money. Arrow heads of
stone or metal have been used by various
primitive people as objects of barter. Although
they may be considered as primitive
money they cannot be classed as
coins. The American Indians and the Japanese
used stone arrow heads for jjurposes
of exchange and the Chinese u.sed bronze
arrow points. Chinese numisnmtists have
.sometimes included these in their works.
See Ramsdeu. There is, however, a specific
instance of an inscribed bronze arrow
point in the Korean series known as Chun
Pei iq.v.).
Arsum. A name applied to any coinage
of base metal resembling billon. Du Cange
states that the etymology is from an old
French word, anls, meaning black.
Arsura. The trial of money by fire, after
it was coined.—Blount, Law Dictionary,
1670.
Artesienne. A general name for tlie
coins, especially Mailles, struck at Artois,
toward the latter part of tlie eleventh century.
Tlie type was copied in Lille, Antwerp,
Brussels, etc. See Blancliet (i, 444,
449), who refers to them by the names of
Artescense and Atrebatensis.
Artig, ]ilural Artiger. A small silver
coin, tlie fractional jiart of a Schilling,
issued l)y the bishops of Dorpat and the
arclibishops of Riga early in tlie sixteenth
century. They also belong to the currency
of the Order of Tjivonia.
Artilucco, or Artiluk. A silver coin of
the Republic of Ragusa issued from 1627
to 1701. It had a value of three Grossetti,
and was copied from tlio Polish Dreigroscher
(q.v.).
The name appears to be taken from the
Turkish woi'd altilule, i.e., six-fold, because
its equivalent in the Ottoman Empire was
six Para. For a detailed account of this
coinage see Resetar, in the Monittshlntf, der
Num. Gesell. in Wien (viii, 18-21).
Aruzzeh, or Tamunah, is a quarter of
a llabbeh or one-fortieth of a Danik, or
one forty-eighth of a Danik (q.v.) of
Khwarizm.
Aryandic Coinage. The name given to
a series of silver coins struck by Aryandes,
a satrap of Egypt, in imitation of the royal
Persian coinage. Darius, from the accoiuit
by Herodotus (iv, 165-167), would
ajjjjcar to have been angry with Aryandes
f(jr issuing silver of excessive purity. No
coins are extant which can be attributed to
this satrap, and Hill suggests that "he
coined sigli with the royal types which
should only have been issued by the royal
mint, and that this was the real reason of
his fall." See Head (p. 845).
As. See Acs Grave.
Asadi Ghrush. Tlie name given by the
Turks to the Austrian Tiialer, and the Rix
Daler of the Low Conntries, which were
the princip.d large silver coins current in
the Ottoman Emi)ire pi-ior to the reign of
.Soleinuui II, who introduced the Ghrush,
or Piastre, in imitation of these coins.
Marsden, liowever (i. 373), quotes Meninski,
that the Utuzlik, or Zolota, a
smaller coin, was "Thalerus llollandicus
floreno Rheuensi aequivalens.
"
[
The confusion is probably due to the fact
that the Piastre and the Utuzlik are of
ncai-ly tlie same size.
Ascanische Pfennige. A variety of
bracteates issued by the Dukes of Anhalt,
who established a mint at Ascania, or Ascaria,
now Ascherslebeu, in the eleventh
century. They are very difficult to classify,
being without inscriptions and corres]
ionding to the Moinuiies Muettes (q.tK).
Aschera. The imme given to the quarter
Piastre in the Egyptian series. It is a base
silver coin of th(> value of ten Paras. The
luime for the half Piastre of the same issue
is Aschreneali. Roth coins were introduced
A.H. 1255 or A.D. 1839.
As'ek. According to R. 0. Temple, in
the Induin Antiquary, 1898 (p. 14), this
name is given to a rough silver casting,
used by the Lao tribes in the northern part
of Siam. It is valued at three Rupees,
though it contains only about one Rupee's
worth of silver.
Ashrafi, or Sherify. A Persian word
meaning "noble," and applied to a gold
coin issued by the Sufi, or Safi, dynasty.
It corresponds in approximate size and
weight to the Dinar and Sequin. The
triple Ashrafi, occasionally struck, received
the name of Muhr-Ashrafi. See Altiui.
Ashrafi. A small silver coin struck by
the Emirs of El Harrar, a pi'ovince of
Abyssinia. About twenty-two of these
were comiinted to a Dollar, though the
value fluctuated under the different emirs.
It was formerly a gold coin.
In the modern Abyssian coinage it is a
monev of account, three being equal to a
Talari.
Asht. A silver coin of India and equal
to one-eighth of a Rupee. See Sihansah.
Aslani. See Abukash.
Asmani, or Usmani. A name given tO
the copper fortj'-cash piece of Mysore, by
Ti|ni Sultan, in 1789, after the adoption
of his new system of reckoning. This system
was begun in 1786, and based on the
Miiludi, /.('., dating from the birth of the
Pro])liet. The coin is so called after
'Usman-ibn-'Affan, the third khalifa. See
Mushtari.
Asper, or Aspre. A billon coin of the
value of oiu;-third of a Para formerly current in Turkey and Asia Minor. It weighs
from two to three <;raiiis.
The name appears to be derived from the
aj'^rpo;, of the modern Greeks, being
"wiiite" money, as (listin<,Miished from the
copper.
In the Tunis currently tlie Asper is divided
into twelve Hourbes.
Tlie name is also >;iven to a silver eoin
current in Rhodes in the fourteenth century
and later. It was issued by the
Knights of St. John of Jerusalem, and is
tiie same as the Denier of Western Europe.
There is a series of them struck at Trebizond,
under the C'ommenes, from Manuel
I {12:i8-l !>(;:!) to Alexis IV (1417-1447),
and fhe\- W(>re copied in Georgia under
Georgi VIII (1452-1469).
In 1492 it was computed in Venice at 20
Tornesi, and in 1677 it was coined in the
Republic of Genoa for the Levantine trade.
Asprione. Du Gange cites ordinances
which intlicatc that this was a name given
to the Soldo d'Oro struck at the mint of
Ravenna.
Assarion. The Greek diniiiiutive I'orni
of the Latin word As (r/.c).
Auarius. The fourth part of the Follis
(q.v.). It was introduced by Diocletian,
and eorrcs|)()nds to the Dekaniuiiinion of
the Byzantine Empire.
Assignat. The name given to a species
of i)ai)er money first issued in France pursuant
to an order of t^he National Assembly
of April 19, 1790. The Republic issued
them in denominations from 10, ()()() Livres
to 5 Livres, as well as a smaller currency
called Appoints as low as ten Sous.
As there was an inade(iuate gold or silver
redemption fund their value soon depreciated
to one-sixth of their original
worth. By an order of the Directorate of
February 19, 1795, they were abolished,
and the holders were permitted to exchange
them for a new variety of jiajx'!' money
called the .Mandat. This also became
worthless in a short time.
Essays of Assignats foi- 100, 51), 25, and
5 Livres struck in white metal and copper
were is.sued in 1791.
Assis. The Roman As {q.v.}.
Assis, plural Asses. A base silver coin
of the value of six Kreuzer i.ssued in Ba,sle,
Stra.sburg, and Luxemburg during the
seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.
In the Luxemburg coinage it represents
a Sol or Sou, and a necessity piece of 72
Asses was issued during the siege of Luxemburg
bv the French, in 1795. See Mailliet
(73, 1).
Atia. A copper coin struck for the Portuguese
Indies at Din, with a corresponding
half. The issue ajipears to have been
begun under Jose|)h I about 1750 and was
continueil until 1851. The reverses usually
exhibit a cross with the foui- figures of the
date in the angles. The value of the Atia
was fifteen Reis or twenty Bazaruccos.
Atkinson. Sec Achesoun.
Atmah. A gold eoin of Akbar, Empei'o)-
of Hindustan, ecjual to one-fourth of
the Siliansah (q.v.).
Atrebatensis. See Artesienne.
Atribuo. Sec Judenpfennige.
Atsida, plural Atsidor or Atsidorna. Ati
ex))ressiou used by Swedish numismatists
to signify the obverse of a eoin or medal.
It is a compound word meaning "the side
toward the pcrsoJi. " Sec Fransida.
Alt. A Siamese copper coin, the sixtyfourth
part of the Tical (q.v.). In the
foi'mer Cambodian coinage the Att represented
the one four-hundredth of the Tical.
Attesaal. In the constitution of Erik
\'
1 1 of Denmark, 1269, this monetary denomination
is mentioned, and Du Cange
states that it was current for a Trcmissis,
oi- thii'd |)art of a Solidus.
Aubonne. The name given to a variety
of Ecu struck for Lorraine and Bar, by
^lousieur d "Aubonne, the director of the
mint from 1724 to 1728. Sec De Saulcy,
(PI. xxxii).
Auferstehungsthaler, i.e.. Resurrection
Thaler. Sif Scliiualkaldischer Bundesthaler.
Augslups Polleten. Sec Polleten.
Augustalis. A gold coin i.ssued by the
iMuperor Frederick II as king of the Two
Sicilies. They were struck at Brindisi from
1197 to 1220, and were valued at one and
a ([uarter gold Gulden. The design on
these pieces is copied from the Roman Aurei; the Emperor's head is laureated,
and he is clothed in Roman costume, from
which fact they derive their name. Italian
numismatists refer to this coin by the
name of Agostaro.
August d'Or. A gold coin of Saxony,
struck originally by the electors and later
by the king. It was a variety of the Pistole
or five-Thaler gold piece. The
Ephraim d'Or, a type issued by Frederick
the Great, at Leipzig, from 1756 to 1758
was greatly inferior and contained only
about one-third the (luantity of gold of
the regidar Pistoles. See Bphraimiten.
Augustos, or Augustari. A name given
to such coins as bear the figure of the
bishops of Augsburg, i.e., Augusta Vindeliconni.
These ecclesiastics struck coins
after 1402. See Blanchet (ii, 92).
Aur. The Icelandic equivalent for the
Scandinavian Ore (q.v.).
Aurelianus. See Antoninianus.
Aureola, plural Aurelii. An ordinance
of the mint of -Venice of 1178 reads fu
sfampata moneta d'argenfo noinuiata
Aurelii. The value of these coins was computed
at two Soldi, but no specimens are
known to exist.
Aureus. The best known of the Roman
gold coins. It succeeded the Scripulum,
and appeared toward the end of the Republic,
when Sulla in B.C. 87, Pompey in
B.C. 81, and Julius Cffsar in B.C. 46,
issued a military gold coinage. This series
forms part of the Nummi Castrenses (q.v.).
The regular coinage of the Aurei began
under .Julius Ca-sar, and their value was
twenty-five Denarii. The weight of the
Aureus gradually declined, and it was
finally abolished when Constaiitine the
Great established the Solidus.
Under Augustus quadruple Aurei called
Quaterniones were issued.
Originallv the Aureus was struck at the
proportion" of 42 to the Roman pound
(327.45 grammes) but its weight gradually
tended to diminish, the reduction being
approximately as follows:
In the time of Augustus the Aureus was
one forty-second of a po\ind, i.e.. 120. :{
grains; in the time of Nero, one forty-fifth
of a pound, i.e., 113.5 grains; in the time
of Caracalla, one-fiftieth of a pound, i.e.,
101.05 grains; in the time of Gallienus,
one sixtieth to one-seventieth of a pound,
i.e., 84 to 72 grains.
Aureus Regalis. See Royal d'Or.
Aurum. The Latin generic term for
money.
Aurum ad Obrussam. See Obryziim.
Aurum Excoctum. 6'ee- Excoetum and
Oliryzum.
Ausbeutemiinzen. The name given to
both "Old and silver coins and implying the
product of a local mine. The earliest specimen
is probably the Saxon Ausbeutethaler
of St. Katharinenberg, dated 1505.
The various Dukes of Brunswick resorted
to tliis practice extensively, and it was
common in other German states as well as
in France, Scandinavia, etc.
Tlie Ausbeutethaler frequently bear
views of the mines or allusions to the place
of striking. In many eases they have distinctive
mottoes, e.g.. das L.\Nn die fruchte
BRiNGT., etc. The Isargold Dukaten and
the Rheingold Dukaten struck from the
product of washings in these rivers are
also classed with the Ausbeutemiinzen.
A third variety are such pieces as bear a
motto invoking a blessing on the mining
operations. These are known as Bergsegensthaler
and occur for Mansfeld, the
Harz Mountains, etc.
Auswurf Miinzen. Sec Maundy Money.
Autonomous Coins. A name given to
coins struck by such cities and territories as
required no external authority to issue
them. They ai-e common in the Greek
series and to some extent in the Roman;
but the provinces of the latter empire
were usually restricted to the extent that
they were permitted to strike only in copper.
Avers, from the Latin adversiis, i.e.,
facing. The same as obverse {q.v.). The
term is used as early as the year 1715 in
the catalogue of an auction sale of coins
held at Gotha in Saxony. -See Berliner
MihKbliitlrr (No. 141).
Awpenny. See Half-Penny.
Axe Money. The common name for a
r\i(lc Clipper currency used by the Mexican
Indians. The native name is Sicca, or Sici-
apili ((/.('.). The shape of these pieces
rcsciubles an axe, about twenty by forty
millimetres.
Aydans. A variety of base silver de- Azzalino. The name given to a Testone
iiicrs issued in Flanders during the fif- issued by the Paleologi at Casale during
teentli eentury. Du Cange eites an ordi- the fourteenth eentury. The word is a
naiK-e of 1450 showing that they were corruption of ucciurinu, meaning a steel
struck at Liege and that .twenty were com- for striking fire, this device occurring on
puted to tlie Florin. the coin. For a similar emblem, see Briquet.