Notes on denominations, fineness and weight of various foreign coins
☉ 22 carats fine, five pound pieces, double Guineas, Guineas. 44 Guineas = a pound weight Troy.
English ☽ 11oz fine crowns, 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 & of the Carcedu, Cardecus, Livers or Franks, Soulz, Deniers. 1 Crown = 2 half crowns = 4 Cardecues , weighs 17dwt Troy = .
French ☉ standard de jure, worse Legr. de facto. Pistol or Lewis d'Or weight of a Crown or 4dwt 9gr de jure or 4dwt 8gr de facto. Double Pistol. Pistol. French crown.
Spanish ☽ standard de jure. 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 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. Cobs. Cobs Ducatooons & 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 = 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 th 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 3 crowns or 14 Cardecues, times its weight of standard Silver or at 16s. 3d. For a Pistoll is of the same weight with a Cardecu, namely 4dwt 9gr. These are their standard recconings. For usually their gold is 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. 3d of our money, so that we give 14d too much for each Pistoll. And a Guinea will be worth 20s. 5d.
<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 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 = 15 times its weight of standard silver. By which proportion a Guinea is worth 21s. 0d∟36379, & a Pistol is worth 17s. 0d,717. supposing it in weight 4dwt 9gr. Abate d for the courseness of Pistolls & 4d & 6 or 7gr) & a Pistol will be worth 16s. 8d.
Source
MINT 19/2/32, National Archives, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, UKc. 1702, c. 894 words.