History of the symbol for Mexico Peso

What is the history, evolution of the symbol for the Mexico Peso ?...

It looks kind of like the US dollar sign !

On 24-Nov-2004, Don Saklad wrote:

What is the history, evolution of the symbol for the Mexico Peso ?...

It looks kind of like the US dollar sign !


I would hypothesize that it is because they came from the same roots. The
if I recall correctly, origins of the dollar sign are not certain, but one
common story, and the one I tend to believe, is that they came from the
pillars of Hercules on the Spanish pillar dollars which were the forerunners
of our dollar. Since these coins came to the US from Mexico, (and Bolivia
and other locations), it would make sense that the symbol for money in
Mexico could evolve from the same old Mexican coin.

Look, for example, at this coin:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...325138 2&rd=1

and notice that the pillar on the left with the banner wrapped around it
looks vaguely like a line with an S around it, (or even more like two
parallel lines with an S wrapped around them).

On 24 Nov 2004 12:28:19 -0500, Don Saklad
wrote:

What is the history, evolution of the symbol for the Mexico Peso ?...

It looks kind of like the US dollar sign !

Where do you think we dollar sign from?

The short answer is apparently that no one really knows what the
answer is. The romantic answer is that the sign is reminiscent of the
pillar and ribbon you find of the back of old Mexican (when it was
part of the Spanish empire) pesos. Take a look he

http://www.newworldtreasures.com/images/4259.jpg

and note that the pillar, especially the one on the right, looks very
much like a peso / dollar sign.

There are other answers, which you can find for yourself by doing a
simple search.

Padraic.

la cieurgeourea provoer mal trasfu
ast meiyoer ke 'l andrext ben trasfu.

Don Saklad wrote:
What is the history, evolution of the symbol for the Mexico Peso ?...
It looks kind of like the US dollar sign !

They are the same sign. The "dollar" sign is a ligature for Ps,
Pesos.

See, for instance:
Newman, Eric P.
The dollar sign : its written and printed origin
Essay in Coinage of the Americas Conference. Proceedings No. 9.
America's silver dollars New York: American Numismatic Society,c. 1995
p. 1-49 pp. 5-16 Vol. 70, No. 2 (Feb. 1957), pp. 137-147 John
Kleeberg, editor.

Newman credits the initial discovery to Florian Cajori, a professor at
Tulane in 1930. The monograph then shows examples of $ and similar
symbols used on SPANISH money back to the 1770s. Congressional
archives contain a 1782 copy of a 1778 letter to Robert Morris from
Oliver Pollack of New Orleans using this symbol for "Pesos" or
"Dollars."

Michael
ANA R-162953
MSNS 7935

On 24 Nov 2004 17:58:33 -0800, (Michael E.
Marotta) wrote:

Don Saklad wrote:
What is the history, evolution of the symbol for the Mexico Peso ?...
It looks kind of like the US dollar sign !

They are the same sign. The "dollar" sign is a ligature for Ps,
Pesos.

See, for instance:
Newman, Eric P.
The dollar sign : its written and printed origin
Essay in Coinage of the Americas Conference. Proceedings No. 9.
America's silver dollars New York: American Numismatic Society,c. 1995
p. 1-49 pp. 5-16 Vol. 70, No. 2 (Feb. 1957), pp. 137-147 John
Kleeberg, editor.

Newman credits the initial discovery to Florian Cajori, a professor at
Tulane in 1930. The monograph then shows examples of $ and similar
symbols used on SPANISH money back to the 1770s. Congressional
archives contain a 1782 copy of a 1778 letter to Robert Morris from
Oliver Pollack of New Orleans using this symbol for "Pesos" or
"Dollars."

Cool. That one sounds even better!

Padraic.

la cieurgeourea provoer mal trasfu
ast meiyoer ke 'l andrext ben trasfu.

Michael E. Marotta wrote:
Don Saklad wrote:
What is the history, evolution of the symbol for the Mexico Peso ?...
It looks kind of like the US dollar sign !

They are the same sign. The "dollar" sign is a ligature for Ps,
Pesos.

See, for instance:
Newman, Eric P.
The dollar sign : its written and printed origin
Essay in Coinage of the Americas Conference. Proceedings No. 9.
America's silver dollars New York: American Numismatic Society,c. 1995
p. 1-49 pp. 5-16 Vol. 70, No. 2 (Feb. 1957), pp. 137-147 John
Kleeberg, editor.

Newman credits the initial discovery to Florian Cajori, a professor at
Tulane in 1930. The monograph then shows examples of $ and similar
symbols used on SPANISH money back to the 1770s. Congressional
archives contain a 1782 copy of a 1778 letter to Robert Morris from
Oliver Pollack of New Orleans using this symbol for "Pesos" or
"Dollars."

I've read Dr. Florian Cajori's article from The Numismatist
(August 1929) and I'm not entirely convinced by his dismissal
of the milreis theory. The documents which show both a Ps
symbol and a $ written by the same hand at the same time
are certainly interesting, but might they simply be different
symbols used at the same time with the same meaning?

It seems a pretty amazing coincidence that the milreis symbol
was identical right down to the existence of one and two stroke
versions well before the symbol was used for Pesos/Dollars.

Peter.
--

The romantic answer is that the sign is reminiscent of the
pillar and ribbon you find of the back of old Mexican (when it was
part of the Spanish empire) pesos. Take a look he

http://www.newworldtreasures.com/images/4259.jpg

It was the shield of Spain. Take a look to the today's one:

http://www.la-moncloa.es/web/sim02.htm

We keep the pillars and the banner! Now, over some waves representing
Atlantic Ocean.

regards

Fernando

Peter Irwin wrote:
I've read Dr. Florian Cajori's article from The Numismatist
(August 1929) and I'm not entirely convinced by his dismissal
of the milreis theory. ...
It seems a pretty amazing coincidence that the milreis symbol
was identical right down to the existence of one and two stroke
versions well before the symbol was used for Pesos/Dollars.

I do not have that original essay, only the Newman work in a COAC
publication from the ANS.

One thought is that for the dollar sign to "come from" this or that,
there would have to be a continuous succession to show the transfer of
information. In other words, suppose we discovered proto-Native
American coins in mounds from 1000 BC. That would make them first,
for sure, but it would not mean that our coins "came from" theirs.

So, too, with the milreis. I appreciate the fact that trade and
commerce will take an idea fast and far. So, I do not disagree with
you on that basis. The Milreis symbol, not the "pesos" may be the
origin of the dollar sign. I would have to read the Cajori paper to
decide for myself. Short of that, I find it pretty easy to take Eric
Newman's word for it -- at least to accept the validity of what he
said in his essay. Newman's pretty reliable.

Michael
ANA R-162953
MSNS 7935