Notes on denominations, fineness and weight of various foreign coins

Author: Isaac Newton

Source: MINT 19/2/32, National Archives, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, UK

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- Revision History
  - 1 January 2001
    - Catalogue information compiled by Rob Iliffe, Peter Spargo & John Young
  - 29 September 2011
    - Catalogue exported to teiHeader by Michael Hawkins
  - 12 June 2017
    - Transcribed by Will Scott
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<32r>

☉ 22 carats fine, five pound pieces, double Guineas, $\frac{1}{2}$ Guineas. 44 $\frac{1}{2}$ Guineas = a pound weight Troy.

English ☽ 11 $\frac{1}{10}$ ^oz fine crowns, $\frac{1}{2}$ crowns, shillings, 6 pences, Groats, threepences, two pences, pence. 5^s 2^d = ℥

French ☽ standard de jure. worse ob^wt de facto. Crowns, half crowns, quarter crowns or Cardecus & $\frac{1}{3}$ of the Carcedu, Cardecus, Livers or Franks, Soulz, Deniers. 1 Crown = 2 half crowns = 4 Cardecues , weighs 17 $\frac{1}{2}$ ^{dw^t} Troy = $\frac{1 Mark French}{8 \frac{1}{2}}$ .

French ☉ standard de jure, worse $\frac{1}{4}$ Legr. de facto. Pistol or Lewis d'Or weight $\frac{1}{4}$ of a Crown or 4^dwt 9^gr de jure or 4^dwt 8^gr de facto. Double Pistol. $\frac{1}{2}$ Pistol. French crown.

Spanish ☽ standard de jure. $\frac{1}{2}$ penny weight wors de facto. Royals, Quartiles, Pieces of 8 or Dollars, Ryalls, Ducats, Marveids, Carna{illeg}. 1 Royal = 4 Quartiles. 1 Piece of 8 = 8 Ryalls. 1 Ducat = 11 Ryals + Marveid. 1 Ryal = 34 Marveids. 1 Marveid = 6 Carnadoes. Exchanges are made upon the Imaginary Ducat of 375 Mervedes = 11 Ryals + 1 Marveid = the Doblon of Castile. The Castiliano is worth 485 Merveids & the Florin of Castile is worth 265 Merveids.

Spanish ☉ standard by law, but $\frac{1}{4}$ legr. worse in fact. Pistols of the same weight & value with the Franch. Ducat single & double of Spain. King Philips crown of Spain. Ducat of Arragon Philip real of Spain. Double Doubloon or 4 Pistoll piece weighting 17^dwt 12^gr esteemed worth 16 pieces of 8, but in payments pieces of 8 are dearer by six per cent.

In Ireland there are current these Spanish pieces of money. Cobbs. $\frac{1}{2}$ Cobs. $\frac{1}{4}$ Cobs Ducatooons & $\frac{1}{2}$ Ducatns. The Cob is a Piece of 8 & weight 17^{dw^t} The Ducaton weighs 20^{dw^t} 16^gr.

In Portugal the silver monies are Milts or Mil-res, single & double Ducats, Testoons, Tyals Vintins & Res. 1 Milt = 2 $\frac{1}{2}$ Ducats = 10 Testoons = 25 Ryals = 50 Vintins = 1000 Res. 400 Res is an old Crusado or Crown. 500 Res is a new Crusado or Crown. 600 Res is a piece of 8.

The Flemish silver coyns are three Guilder pieces Gilders, Skillings, stivers single & Double Ducatoons, Patatoons, Grosses or Groats & Pence or Doits, & Dollars
4 Pence or Doits = 1 Gross. 2 Grosses = 1 stiver. 2 Stivers = 1 Double stivers. 1 Livre = 20 souls or skillings = 6 × 20 stivers = 12 × 20 Grosses. 1 Guilder or Floren = 20 stivers or soulds Turnois. They reccon in the low countries by Florens stivers & Deniers in the proportion of 1, 20 & 16 × 20 ({Scooten}) or by livers sous & grosses

Their Gold coins are the Flemish Angel, Flemish or Flanders crown, Flemish Noble Flemish Real called the Key. Flanders Albertus. Double Soveraign of Flanders Holland Rider.

The French Gold coyns are the Double Pistol, Pistol & half Pistol & some quarter Pistolls all 22 carats fine & 2 carats allay. Their silver coyns the Crown, half crowns & quarter crown or Cardecue & the third part of the Cardecue or $\frac{1}{12}$ th of the crown all 11^oz 2^dwt fine & 18^{dw^t} allay. They keep their recconings in Livers souls & Deniers & coyn a crown for 3 Livers; but by their late Edicts a crown goes for 66, 68 or 70 souls. And whatever a crown goes for a Pistol is valued at 3 $\frac{2}{3}$ crowns or 14 $\frac{2}{3}$ Cardecues, times its weight of standard Silver or at 16^s. 3^d $\frac{49}{60}$ . For a Pistoll is of the same weight with a Cardecu, namely 4^{dw^t} 9^gr. These are their standard recconings. For usually their gold is $\frac{1}{4}$ legr worse & their silver ob^{w^t} worse & both too light by a grain or two in a piece Abate an halfpenny for the coursness & the Pistol which here goes for 17^s & 6^d is worth (according to the proportion of ☉ to ☽ in France) but 16^s. 3 $\frac{1}{3}$ ^d of our money, so that we give 14^d $\frac{2}{3}$ too much for each Pistoll. And a Guinea will be worth 20^s. 5^d $\frac{213}{1000}$ .

<32v>

The Gold at Cadiz (& perhaps in all Spain) is heavier then in Italy, the Pistol is heavier by two grains, the Dobleon or two-pistol-piece by 4 grains & the double Dobleon (or four Pistol piece) by 6 (or perhaps 8) grains. The Spanish double Dobleon is of the same weight with a piece of eight viz^t 17^{dw^t} 12^gr & in Spain is accounted worth 16 Pistols but by reason of the great scarcity of silver monies in Spain the Spaniards make all their payments in gold & will not part with their silver without an advance of 6 per cent: so that standard Gold in Spain is really worth $\frac{16 × 100}{106}$ = 15 $\frac{5}{53}$ times its weight of standard silver. By which proportion a Guinea is worth 21^s. 0^d_∟36379, & a Pistol is worth 17^s. 0^d,717. supposing it in weight 4^dwt 9^gr. Abate $\frac{1}{2}$ ^d for the courseness of Pistolls & 4^d & 6 or 7^gr) & a Pistol will be worth 16^s. 8^d $\frac{1}{5}$ .