Description: Sigismund III Vasas $ Money: The First Dollar Sign Coin (boxed) Description No one can definitively say why $ is used as an abbreviation for dollar. Neither Ayn Rands theory (that the symbol is a U with an S superimposed on it, with the bottom erased) nor the Pillars of Hercules theory (that the mark derives from engravings on the Spanish silver peso) accounts for use of the dollar sign in Europe as early as the 17th century. And why would S stand for dollar? Some historians now theorize that the $ has its origins in European money from 400 years ago. The silver coin struck by Sigismund III Vasa, king of the then-mighty Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth from 1587-1632, has on its obverse a distinctive letter Sthe kings initial. It is worth a fraction of a thaler, the unit of currency; in fact, the word dollar derives from thaler. Everyone, even illiterate common folk, would be able to draw the easily-recognizable S symbol on the coineven if they could not write out the word thaler. Furthermore, the S money was in circulation for half a century, a period coinciding with the early colonial era. If this theory is correct, the ubiquitous silver 1/108 thaler of King Sigismund is the first dollar sign coin. Lot of 5: Poland, Sigismund III (1587-1632), 3 Polker(C) Size: 19.1-19.4 mm Metal: Silver Obverse: Orb Reverse: Coat of arms Description Sigismund remains a highly controversial figure in Poland. His long reign coincided with the apex of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealths prestige, power and economic influence. On the other hand, it was during his reign that the symptoms of decline leading to the Commonwealths eventual demise surfaced.
Price: 175 USD
Location: Plato, Missouri
End Time: 2024-10-13T21:25:47.000Z
Shipping Cost: 0 USD
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Item Specifics
Restocking Fee: No
Return shipping will be paid by: Seller
All returns accepted: Returns Accepted
Item must be returned within: 30 Days
Refund will be given as: Money Back
Era: Medieval
Region of Origin: Europe
