Piece of Eight, the old Spanish dollar ; also a money of account in what used to be the Danish West India Islands.
Pistole, German, is the common name of coins bearing the name of the state in which they circulate, or the sovereign who coined them. They vary slightly, and an allowance is made for deficiency in weight and fineness ; 35; pistoles should weigh a Cologne mark of gold, 211 carats fine ; they are then called pallor pidoles, and are worth from 16s. 4d. to 16s. 6d.
Plates, the denomination given to certain large copper coins, formerly used in Sweden. Kelly says, " The large copper pieces of the value of 4, 3, 2, 1, f, and silver daler, or 12, 9, 6, 3, 24, and 11 copper daler, weighing 71, 51, 3!, 11„ 11, and lb. of the victualie or mon weight, are no longer considered as a legal coin, but as a sort of merchandise, which every one is at liberty to sell or export after paying the duty on exportation. These in general,, hut more particularly the 2-daler pieces, are called plates." Plott, a silver coin formerly used in Sweden, 1 of the rix-dollar, of the value of Is. 6(1. sterling.
Pot, a Russian gold coin ; it is the name of the half-imperial, and is worth 17: 2d.
on, Pultina, Popoltin, Russian silver coins, of 50 and 25 kopeks, = to the half and quarter ruble. The poltin of the empress Anne was of the value of 18. 9d. ' • that of Elizabeth, 18. 10d. ; of Catherine II., Is. 7;d.; of Paul, I8. 71d. ; of Alexander, 18. id. The halves in pro portion. None of these are now used.
Polturat, a coin of Hungary, not now in use. The currency in all the Austrian possessions is now assimilated.
Quarter, a money of account and coin in Bombay, of which 4 make a rupee.
Quarto, a money of account at Gibraltar ; 16 quartos are equal to I real, 12 reals are equal to 1 peso duro or dollar. The quarto is therefore rather more than the third of a penny.
Quattrino, a copper coin in Italy, of 2 denarii, now disused. At Rome puattrini Lade 1 paolo.
Real. There were formerly three small Spanish silver coins called reals, namely, the real of Mexican plate, the real of provincial plate, and the real vellon. The real now is a silver coin, worth about 2:d.;
there is also a double real. Twenty reals=1 duro.
Rots, a money of account in Bombay, of which 400 go to a rupee.
Ree, a Portuguese and Brazilian money of account. The five-ree piece, a copper coin, is worth a little more than a farthing. The milris (or piece of 1000 rein) is worth 4s. 6d.
Rig.bank Dater, a money of account in Denmark, worth 2s. 2d. The specie daler is worth cobble that sum. 96 skillings = I rigsbank daler. In Sweden the rigsbank daler is only worth 18. 8d., but the specie daler is worth 4s. 4d.
Ri.cddlar, a silver money of Hamburg and Lubeck, equal to 3 marks. It Is also a coin of Bremen, worth 3s. 4d. It is also used at the Cape of Good Hope, where (in paper) it passes for Is. 6d.
Ruble, or Rouble, a money of account, and a silver coin in Russia ; it is equal to 100 copper kopeks, and is worth 3s. lid. English. There are pieces of I and i a ruble also.
Rundstykeo, a money of account and coin in Sweden, worth the 12th part of a halfpenny ; 12 rundstyken =1 skilling.
a money of account and silver coin in the East Indies. The coins, which were formerly struck at the Calcutta mint, were sicca rupees, also called silver rupees, and gold mohurs, sometimes called gold rupees ; 16 of the former, by regulation, were to pass for one of the latter. The silver rupee has its half. The present rupee, called the Company's rupee, contains 16 anal, and is reckoned at 2s. sterling.
Schilling, a coin of Hamburg, of which 16=1 mark ; it is therefore the 16th part of Is. 2!d. In Mecklenburg Schwerin it is the 24th part of a neue thaler, which is worth 2s. 3d.
Belau/rot, a coin of Bremen ; 5 schwaren = 1 grote ; 72 grotes = I rix-dollar ; the schwaren is therefore worth the 9th part of a penny.
Seudo, a money of account, and a silver coin in many parts of Italy, at Sicily, and Malta. The scudo of Rome is worth 4s. 2id.; that of Tuscany about 4s. 5d.; that of Sicily and Malta about 4s. ld. The ten scudo piece is a gold coin.