Why is the Dollar Sign ($) an S with two vertical lines along it? Why not a D?
Answer:
The sign's ultimate origins are not certain, though it is widely accepted that it comes from the Spanish coat of arms, which carries the two Pillars of Hercules and the motto Non Plus Ultra in the shape of an "S".
"$" is a corruption of the letters "PS" or "PS" (for 'peso', as each letter could represent each syllable of "Pe-So") written over each other in Spanish. Eventually, the 'P' was reduced to a vertical line.
Popular belief often ascribes the origin of the dollar sign ($) to a mark on government mail-bags standing for U.S., or Uncle Sam. Another common story claims that the symbol represents the pillars of Hercules on the Spanish dollar. A third explanation for its origin identifies it as a conversion of the old Spanish symbol for the Spanish dollar. Most probably, however, the dollar sign is a conventionalized combination of the letters p and s for pesos. As early as 1788, a government clerk used such a mark, and the present symbol came into general use shortly after that time.
Oliver Pollock, an Irish immigrant, settled in Pennsylvania in the 1700's. He dealt with the Spaniards using their currency, the peso. His penmanship was so poor, that his p and s were often transposed. Congress perpetuated the use of the s with two lines, and it has become an American symbol as the bald eagle is to this day.
Its a monogram of the initials for the Unites States. The S is the states and the two lines intersect the bottom of the S to form a U on top of the S. $. It has nothing to do with the peso or the spanish coat of arms.
For a long time, the Spanish silver-dollar sized coin called eight reals ( ray-alls ) was used all over the world. We took the 8 and the columns representing the entrance to the Mediterranean, called The Pillars of Hercules.
Somehow, part of the 8 became missing, and the S has been our sign ever since.
More interesting facts--- A large silver mine was discovered in Czechoslovakia, in what is called San Joachim's Thal. To commemorate the find, a large silver coin was put into use. It was called the San Joachim's Thaler, shortened to Thaler. pronounced ( taller ), from that we get the word dollar. In Sweden, they spell it daler, and in Italy talero. By the way, the word thaler is a German word that means Valley.
Because the Spanish piece of eight was the common coin, it was used for most of our early business transactions. Often, change could not be made, because a dollar was far more valuable that a bush today, so the people would take a chisel and cut the coin it half, or even quarters. The coin was eight reals, so each half represiented four reals. To cut it into eight little bits would make each unrecognizeable, so each quarter was two bits.
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