Notes on denominations, fineness and weight of various foreign coins

Diplomatic TextCatalogue Entry

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22 carats fine, five pound pieces, double Guineas, 12 Guineas. 4412 Guineas = a pound weight Troy.

English 11110oz fine crowns, 12 crowns, shillings, 6 pences, Groats, threepences, two pences, pence. 5s 2d = ℥

French standard de jure. worse obwt de facto. Crowns, half crowns, quarter crowns or Cardecus & 13 of the Carcedu, Cardecus, Livers or Franks, Soulz, Deniers. 1 Crown = 2 half crowns = 4 Cardecues , weighs 1712dwt Troy = 1 Mark French812.

French standard de jure, worse 14 Legr. de facto. Pistol or Lewis d'Or weight 14 of a Crown or 4dwt 9gr de jure or 4dwt 8gr de facto. Double Pistol. 12 Pistol. French crown.

Spanish standard de jure. 12 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 14 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 17dwt 12gr 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. 12 Cobs. 14 Cobs Ducatooons & 12 Ducatns.                    The Cob is a Piece of 8 & weight 17dwt The Ducaton weighs 20dwt 16gr.

In Portugal the silver monies are Milts or Mil-res, single & double Ducats, Testoons, Tyals Vintins & Res. 1 Milt = 212 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 112th of the crown all 11oz 2dwt fine & 18dwt 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 323 crowns or 1423 Cardecues, times its weight of standard Silver or at 16s. 3d4960. For a Pistoll is of the same weight with a Cardecu, namely 4dwt 9gr. These are their standard recconings. For usually their gold is 14 legr worse & their silver obwt worse & both too light by a grain or two in a piece Abate an halfpenny for the coursness & the Pistol which here goes for 17s & 6d is worth (according to the proportion of to in France) but 16s. 313d of our money, so that we give 14d23 too much for each Pistoll. And a Guinea will be worth 20s. 5d2131000.

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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 vizt 17dwt 12gr & 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 16 × 100106 = 15553 times its weight of standard silver. By which proportion a Guinea is worth 21s. 0d36379, & a Pistol is worth 17s. 0d,717. supposing it in weight 4dwt 9gr. Abate 12d for the courseness of Pistolls & 4d & 6 or 7gr) & a Pistol will be worth 16s. 8d15.