The earliest currency of metal has been already treated of under COIN, together with the denominations, as far as they are known, of the different moneys current among the chief nations of antiquity, as well as some in our own country.
Several other of the more important coins, ancient and modern, have been already disposed of under their respective heads; we shall now lay before our readers as concise an account as possible of the money which forms the present, or has formed the recently existing, metallic currency of modern nations, taking them alphabetically : Albert's Dollar is a coin formerly known in Holland, with its half and quarter, at 50, 25, and 124 stivers. The term is used also as a mouey of account at Libau and Riga. The intrinsic value of a metallic Albert's dollar was 48. 44d. _ Altmi.idie, a Turkish silver coin, no longer in use.
Ana, an East Indian coin, the 16th part of a rupee ; worth about three halfpence.
Asper, a small Turkish money of account.-3 aspers = 1 pars; 40 parts = 1 piastre.
August d'Or, a gold coin of Saxony, double, single, and half; reckoned at 10, 5, and 2i rix-dollars. The august piece of 5 thalers was worth 168. 5W. It is now disused.
Bajoecho, or Soldo, a copper coin at Rome, formerly divided into 12 denarii, or 5 quattrini ; worth about the third of a penny. There are also double and single bajocchelli, of 4 and 2 bajocchi. 100 bajocchi=1 scudo romano.
Bahen, a base silver coin formerly used in Switzerland, and also in some parts of Germany. It was worth about I ad. English.
Beshlik, a Turkish and Egyptian coin : worth, in Egypt, about 2s. 34d.; in Turkey, 18. 04d. The beshlik in Syria is a mixed metal, and is worth about 10d.
Bit, or Bitt, a small coin in the West Indies, worth 51d.
Candereen, a part of the currency of China, passing by weight ; 1000 candereens=1 tael, which is worth 6s. 7d.
Carlini), a small silver coin in the kingdom of Naples and in Sicily : it contains 10 grani, worth 4d. There are mezza-carlini, of half the value. In Piedmont the carlino was a gold coin : coined before 1785 it was of the assayed value of Si. I8s. 8d. ; subsequent to that year, Si. 128. 3d.; the half, &c., in proportion.
Carotin d'Or, or simply Carotin, a gold coin of Bavaria, Hesse Darmstadt, and Wtirtemberg, now disused, value 208. 6d.
Cash, a small coin in China, and India beyond the Ganges. It is the only coin used in China. It is not coined, but cast. It is composed of
6 parts of copper and 4 of lead ; round, marked on one side, and rather raised at the edges, with a square hole in the middle. These pieces are commonly carried like beads on a string or wire. A tael in account of fine silver should be worth 1000 cash, or about 6s. 7d.; but, on account of their convenience for common use, their price is sometimes so much raised that only 750 cash are given for the tael. Cash is some times called Cara. In Sumatra cash are small pieces of tin or lead, 2500 of which go to a mace.
Cent, or Centime, a coin and money of account in France, Holland, Belgium, Switzerland, and in the United States of North America. In France the centime is the fifth part of a soils (about an English half penny), and hundredth part of the franc (worth English). In Holland 100 cents =I florin. In Switzerland the small coins consist of pieces of 5, 10, and 20 centimes, in base metal, less bulky than the English copper. Centimes are sometimes called rappen, which were formerly the tenth part of a batzen. In the money of the United States the cent is the hundredth part of a dollar. Half-cents are ctined in the same proportion.
Christian d'Or, a fOrmer Danish coin, worth 168. tad.
Copang, or Coban, a Japauese coin. The old copangs weigh 371 Dutch asen, or 275 English grains, and the gold is said to be 22 carats fine : this would give 21. 48. 7d. sterling for the value of the old copang ; but it must be observed that the Japanese coins are reckoned at Madras only 87 touch, which is 20I2 carats, and this reduces the value of the old copang to 21. ls. 10d. sterling. The new copangs weigh 180 English grains, and the gold is about 16 carats fine, which gives their value 218. 3d. sterling.
C.pcek, see Kopek.
aneries, a species of small sca-sliclls, which, as long as they remain unbroken, are used in parts of Africa, India, &c., as money in small payments : 2560 cowries are generally reckoned ior a current rupee. But they have intermediate divisions, thus : 4 cowries make 1 gunda; 20 gundas, I punn ; 4 punns, 1 ana ; 4 anas, 1 cahaun ; and 4 cahauns 1 current rupee ; but the last proportion is variable. Cowries are also used for money on the Malabar coast, at Siam on the farther peninsula, and in Guinea, where 2000 of these shells are called a macuta.