GOLD COINS. .9 gold, .05 silver, .05 copper; weight, 25.8 gr. E... .9 The Trade Dollar is intended to be used only in commerce with lastern countries. Three-cent" 30. .... .95 copper, .05 tin and zinc, in such proportion as may be ordered by the dircctor of the mint; weight, 48 grains. The Treasury Department of the United States issues what are called "United States Notes," of $1, $2, $5, $10, $20, $50, $100, $200, $500, and $1000 notes, the payment of all of which is secured by the United States Government. Mill is derived from mille (1000); Cent, from centum (100); Dime is from the French; Dollar, from the Danish Daler, or the German Thaler. The symbol $ is probably "U" written over ❝S," meaning United States. CANADA MONEY. 194. Canada Money is the legal currency of the Dominion of Canada. The Unit of Measure is the dollar, equal in value to the United States gold dollar. The other denominations are cents and mills, and have the same nominal value as the corresponding denominations of U. S. Money. English currency is also much used in Canada. In Great Britain the gold coins are 22 carats fine; that is, they are pure gold and alloy. The fineness of silver is estimated by the number of ounces of fine silver in a pound Troy of metal. Pure silver is 12 fine; and silver coins are 11 fine; that is, they are pure silver and alloy. 195. English Money, sometimes called Sterling, is the legal currency of Great Britain. The Unit of Measure is the pound (£) = $4.8665. TABLE. 4 farthings (far. or qr.)=1 penny 12 pence =1 shilling 20 shillings 21 shillings =1 pound, or sovereign £ 1= 12= 48 1= 4 7s. 6d. are often written 7/6; 5s. 8d., 5/8; &c., &c. NOTE.-In estimating the value of coins, it is only the fine metal in them that is taken into consideration. The alloy is regarded as valueless. 196. German Money is the currency of the New German Empire. The Unit of Measure is the "mark" = $.238. Weight, =.3982 grammes. GERMAN COINS. (.9 gold and .1 alloy.) Gold.-20, 10, and 5-mark pieces = respectively $4.76, $2.38, and $1.19. Silver.-5, 2, and 1-mark, and 20-pfennig pieces $1.19, $.476, $.238. and $.0476. Copper.-Pfennig, and all smaller pieces. 100 pfennigs = 1 mark. 197. French Money is the legal currency of France. The Unit of Measure is 1 franc = $.193. It is founded on the decimal system. Decimes, like our dimes, are not expressed; thus, 6 fr., 2 dc., and 7 ct. are written 6.fr.27, or 6.27 fr., and read 6 francs and 27 centimes, or 6 and 27 hundredths francs. The value of the franc in estimating duties, is $.193; its intrinsic value is about the same. The coins of France are .9 pure metal and .1 alloy. WEIGHT. 198. Weight is the measure of the force of gravity. Gravity is the tendency of bodies to fall toward some centre. Bodies on the earth tend toward the earth's centre. Weights are divided, with respect to the use to which they are applied, into Troy Weight, Apothecaries' Weight, and Avoirdupois Weight. TROY WEIGHT. 199. Troy Weight is used in weighing precious metals and jewels, and in philosophical experiments. The Unit of Measure is one pound = 5760 grains. TABLE. 24 grains (gr.) = 1 pennyweight pwt.1=12=240=5760 : lb. OZ. pwt. gr. The Troy pound is the standard of weight at the U. S. Mint. A Carat is a weight used to weigh diamonds and precious stones. It is equal to 3.2 grains Troy, or 4 carat grains. Carat is also a word used to indicate the fineness of gold. Thus, gold when 24 carats fine, is all gold; when 15 carats fine, it is or .625 gold, and or .375 alloy. Troy Weight received its name from Troyes, a town in France where this weight was first used in Europe. It is said to have been brought from Cairo, in Egypt, during the crusades, and adopted by the goldsmiths, many of whom resided at Troyes. The old silver penny of England was used as a weight, hence the term pennyweight. The term grain originated in the custom of using a number of grains of wheat as the weight of a penny. At first 32, and afterwards 24 made a pennyweight. The grains were taken from the middle of the ear and well dried. |