a piece of metal converted into money by the impression of certain marks or figures thereon.

Coin differs from Money as the species from the genus. Money is any matter, whether metal, wood, leather, glass, horn, paper, fruits, shells, or kernels, which have currency as a medium in Commerce. Coin is a particular species, always made of metal, and struck according to a certain process called COINING.

The precise epocha of the invention of money is too ancient for our annals; and, if we might argue from the necessity and obviousness of the thing, must be nearly coeval with the world.

Whether coins be of equal antiquity, may admit of some doubt; especially as most of the ancient writers are so frequent and express in their mention of leathern-moneys, paper-moneys, wooden-moneys, &c. Some, however, notwithstanding this, are of opinion, that the first moneys were of metal: the reasons they give, are the firmness, neatness, cleanness, durability, and universality of metals; which, however, do rather conclude they ought to have been so, than that they actually were so.

In effect, the very commodities themselves were the first moneys, i.e., were current for one another by way of exchange; and it was the difficulty of cutting or dividing certain commodities, and the impossibility of doing it without great loss, that first put men on the expedient of a general medium. See EXCHANGE.

Indeed, thus much may be said in behalf of coins, that, on this view, it was natural for men to have their first recourse to metals, as being almost the only things whose goodness, and as it were integrity, is not diminished by partition; besides the advantages above expressed, and the conveniences of melting and returning them into a mass of any size or weight.

It was probably, then, this property of metals which first accustomed people, who traded together, to account them in lieu of quantities of other merchandises in their exchanges, and at length to substitute them wholly in their stead; and thus arose money; as it was their other property to preserve any mark or impression a long time, which confirmed them in the right; and thus was the first rise of coins.

In the first ages, each person cut his metal into pieces of different sizes and forms, according to the quantity to be given for any merchandise, or according to the demand of the seller, or the quantity stipulated between them. To this end they went to market loaded with metal in proportion to the purchase to be made, and furnished with instruments for portioning it, and scales for dealing it out, according as occasion required. By degrees, it was found more commodious to have pieces ready weighed; and as there were different weights required according to the value of the different wares, all those of the same weight began to be distinguished with the same mark or figure; thus were coins carried one step further. At length the growing commerce of money beginning to be disturbed with frauds, both in the weights and the matter, the public authority interposed; and hence the first stamps or impressions of money; to which succeed- Modern Coins. In England the current species of gold are the guinea, half-guinea, seven-shillings piece, Jacobus, laureat, angel, and rose noble; the four last of which are now seldom to be met with; having been most of them converted into guineas, chiefly during the reign of Charles II. and James II. The silver coins are the crown, half-crown, shilling, and sixpence. Copper coins are the farthing, half-penny, penny and twopenny pieces.

In Scotland, by the articles of the Union, it is appointed that all the coins be reduced to the English, and the same accounts observed throughout. Till then the Scots had their pounds, shillings, and pence, as in England; but their pound was but 20 pence English, and the others in proportion: accordingly, their merk was 13½s. Scots, current in England at 13½d.; their noble in proportion. Besides these they had their turnorer pence and half-pence; their penny ½ of that of England: besides base money of achisons, babees, and placks. The bodle ¼ of the penny, ¼ of the achison, ¼ of the babee, and ¼ of the plack.

In Ireland, the coins are as in England, viz. shillings, pence, &c. with this difference, that their shilling is but equal to 11½½d. sterling: whence their pound is only 18s. 5½d.

But, for a view of all the coins presently current in the four quarters of the globe, with their values and proportions, see the table subjoined to the article Money.

In many places shells are current for coins; particularly a small white kind dug out of the ground in the Maldives, and some parts of America, called in the Indies coveries or coris, on the coast of Africa bonges, and in America porcelaines; of which it takes a vast number to be equivalent in value to a penny. Of zimbis, another kind of shell current, particularly in the kingdoms of Angola and Congo, two thousand make what the negroes call a macoute, which is no real money; for of this there is none in this part of Africa, but a manner of reckoning: thus, two Flemish knives they esteem a macoute; a copper bason two pounds weight, and 12 inches diameter, they reckon three macoutes; a fusee 10, &c.

In some places fruits are current for coins. Of these there are three sorts used; two in America, particularly among the Mexicans, which are the cacao and maize; the other in the East Indies, viz. almonds brought thither from Lary, and growing in the deserts of Arabia. Of cacao 15 are esteemed equivalent to a Spanish rial, or seven pence sterling. Maize has ceased to be a common money since the discovery of America by the Europeans. Almonds are chiefly used where the coveries are not current. As the year proves more or less favourable to this fruit, the value of the money is higher or lower. In a common year 40 almost are set against a pescha, or halfpenny sterling; which brings each almond to ¼ of a farthing.

Ancient Coins are those chiefly which have been current among the Jews, Greeks, and Romans. Their values and proportions are as follow:

| Coin | Jewish | Grecian | Roman | |------|--------|---------|-------| | Gerah | - | - | - | | Bechah | - | - | - | | Shekel | - | - | - | | Maneh | - | - | - | | Mina hebraica | - | - | - | | Talent | - | - | - | | Solidus aureus, or sextula, worth | - | - | - | | Siculo aureus, worth | - | - | - | | A talent of gold, worth | - | - | - |

Note: Of these the drachma, didrachm, &c. were of silver, the rest for the most part of brass. The other parts, as tridrachm, tribolus, &c. were sometimes coined.

Note also: The drachma is here, with the generality of authors, supposed equal to the denarius; though there is reason to believe that the drachma was somewhat the weightier. See Drachma and Denarius.

The Grecian gold coin was the stater aureus, weighing two Attic drachms, or half of the stater argentus, and exchanging usually for 25 Attic drachms of silver in our money.

According to our proportion of gold to silver

There were likewise the stater Cyzicus, exchanging for 28 Attic drachms, or Stater Philippicus, and stater Alexandrinus, of the same value.

Stater Daricus, according to Josephus, worth 50 Attic drachms, or Stater Croesus, of the same value.

ROMAN.

| Coin | sterl. | s. | d. | grs. | |------|--------|---|----|-----| | Teruncius | - | - | - | - | | Semilibella | - | - | - | - | | Libella | - | - | - | - | | As | - | - | - | - | | Sestertius | - | - | - | - | | Quinarius | - | - | - | - | | Victorinus | - | - | - | - | | Denarius | - | - | - | - |

Note. Note. Of these the denarius, victoriatus, sestertius, and sometimes the as, were of silver; the rest of brass. See As, &c.

There were sometimes also coined of brass the triens, sextans, uncia, sextula, and dupondius.

The Roman gold coin was the aureus, which weighed generally double the denarius; the value of which, according to the first proportion of coinage, mentioned by Pliny, was

According to the proportion that obtains now amongst us, worth

According to the decuple proportion, mentioned by Livy and Julius Pollux, worth

According to the proportion mentioned by Tacitus, and which afterwards obtained, whereby the aureus exchanged for 25 denarii, its value,

Architecture, a kind of dye cut diagonally, after the manner of a flight of a staircase, serving at bottom to support columns in a level, and at top to correct the inclination of an entablature supporting a vault.

Coin is also used for a solid angle composed of two surfaces inclined towards each other, whether that angle be exterior, as the coin of a wall, a tree, &c., or interior, as the coin of a chamber or chimney. See Quoin.