Tredyffrin Easttown Historical Society Home : Document Collection Home Use the links at the left to return.

Document Collection

A TABLE of the value and weight of COINS,
as they now pass in

ENGLAND, NEW YORK, CONNECTICUT, PHILADELPHIA, and QUEBEC

  Sterl1.
l. s. d.		 N. York
l. s. d.		 Least
Weight		 Connectie
l. s. d.		 Phila.
l. s. d.		 Quebec
l. s. d.		 Least
Weight

ENGLISH

              

shilling

 0 01 0 0 01 9

dwt.gr.

 0 01 4 0 01 6 0 01 4

dv t.gr.

crown2

 0

5

 0 0

8

 9

 

 

 0

6

 8 0

7

 6 0

6

 8

 

 

Guinea3

 1

1

 0 1

17

  

5

3

 1

8

   1

14

   1

8

  

5

5

SPANISH

              

Pntereen

  

 

    

1

 7

 

 

  

1

 2½  

1

 4  

1

 2

 

 

Dollars

  

 

    

8

  

17

6

  

6

    

7

 6  

6

  

17

12

Pistole

 0

16

 0 1

9

  

 

 

 1

2

   1

7

   1

1

  

4

4

PORTUGAL

              

Moidore

 1

7

 0 1

3

  

6

18

 1

16

   2

3

 6 1

16

  

6

18

*Half-Johannes

 1

10

 0 3

4

  

9

0

 2

8

   3

0

 0 2

8

  

 

 

FRENCH NINEPENCE

              

Crown

 0

5

 0  

8

 6

 

 

  

6

 8  

7

 6  

6

 8

17

12

Pistole

 0

16

 0 1

8

  

4

5

  

 

   1

6

 6 1

1

  

4

4

Louis D'or or Guinea3

 1

1

 0 1

16

  

5

4

  

 

   1

13

   1

8

  

5

5

GERMAN

              

caroline

  

 

   1

18

  

6

8

  

 

   1

14

   1

10

  

9

17

 

* At a Meeting of the Chamber of Commerce, the 7th of August 1770, it was Resolved, That the Members of that Corporation would, in future, pay and receive all HALF JOES, that weigh 9 Penny Weight, at £3 : 4 : 0 and for every Grain they weigh more, allow three Pence per Grain; and every Grain they weigh less, deduct 4d and all other Gold in like Manner.

Source: The New-York Pocket Almanack for the Year 1771
Transcribed by Mike Bertram 4/9/2023

Notes

1. 12 d. (pence) = 1 s. (shilling); 20 s. = £1 or 1 l.
2. The crown as a coin disppeared as a coin in the early 20th century, but the half-crown (2 s. 6 d.) was a popular coin in the UK's pre-decimal days.
3. Although the use of the Guinea in currency disappeared with decimalization in the UK, there are still, in my memory, horse races such as the 2000 Guineas Stakes and race horses were sold in guineas.
4. Pistole means any of various gold coins used in Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries. It was the French name given to a Spanish gold coin in use from 1537; it was a doubloon or double escudo, the gold unit. The name was also given to the Louis d'Or of Louis XIII of France, and to other European gold coins of about the value of the Spanish coin. Reference: Wikipedia