22 Votes

Where does the Dollar Sign come from?

Question by For Nature | 2012-03-17 at 15:14

I am interested in the origin of the currency symbol dollar. I think, it is clear why the Euro sign is looking like it is. But what about the dollar? In the symbol $, the D of dollar is not appearing.

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I've heard at school, that the first dollar sign emerged sometime in the 18th Century in trade between the American colonies, to identify the Spanish currency. Accordingly, the dollar sign could be an abbreviation of pesos (Ps).

Accordingly, people first wrote Ps, then they put the S something above the P and eventually they merged the two letters and the dollar sign was born. However, whether this legend is true...

It was interesting to hear at that time, that the dollar sign has also established for a variety of other currencies, although, here we are always thinking about the American dollar, when we are talking about dollars. That is why we are calling the American dollar US-Dollar (US). Also for the Cuban Peso (see origin), one uses the sign (Cub$).
2012-03-24 at 16:33

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There are numerous theories of where the dollar sign could come from. The theory described by Enky is the most probable, but maybe similar signs developed in different places, so that the original origin is therefoe difficult to clarify.

Other theories see the origin in the Pillars of Hercules, which were encircled with a ribbon and was with this similar to the dollar sign; in a Portuguese number separator called Cifrão that also looked like the dollar sign or a dash through 8, which should mean "part of 8" what could be a reference to the exchange rate.

One other theory sees the origin in the Roman coin, called sesterces, which were abbreviated as HS, which can also be assembled easily to a dollar.
2012-03-27 at 13:35

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I once heard that the dollar sign should come from US. The U is written just slightly smaller than the S and the lower curve of the U forms the lower side of the S.

But historically, the dollar sign appears earlier than the founding of the United States, so that this will probably only a myth.
2012-03-28 at 17:20

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