MONETARY ITEMS.

Dunstan Times, Issue 2486, 21 June 1909, Page 4

MONETARY ITEMS.

The word Money is from the temple of Juno, Monita, in which money was first coined by the ancients. Pecuniary is from pecus, a flock: flocks md herds of animals being originally squivalent to money or things constituting wealth.

Cash, in commerce, signifies ready money or actual coin paid on the instant, as it is from the French word caissc, a coffer or (best in which money is kept. Pound was never a coin. The term was Kiginally employed to signify a pound weight of silver ; but afterwards it was employed to mean twenty shillings in tale or by tounting. * Guinea took its name from the coast of Guinea, in Africa, whence the gold for it was originally brought. At first the piece was current at twenty shillings ; afterwards It was equal to' twenty-one shillings and intpence, and finally settled at twenty-bn# ihulings. va»—-V s

Shilling and penny are both from Saxon words. The penny was first coined tin silver. ■ ... •<..

Groat was a.name given to silver pieces equal to four pennies in value, coined by Edward 111. T his word groat is a corruption of drosses, ' or great pieces, and was given to distinguish this larger coinage from pennies or small coin. Farthing is a corruption of four thing, or the fourth pjirt of a penny.