[OT] History of the dollar sign [Was: [OT] Aesthetics of @ and $;]

[Warren Brown]

Alex,

> Surely you're jesting? The fine $ symbol is
> the stylized personal emblem of Sigismondo
> Malatesta, the Signore of Rimini (and many
> other parts in Romagna, too). It's an S,
> for Sigismondo, entwined with a I, for
> Isabella, his life-long lover (I believe he
> did marry her on her deathbed, actually, so
> she was his wife for a very short while).

Interesting. I have never heard it suggested that the Malatesta "logo"
was the inspiration for the dollar sign. Do you have any reference to back
up this claim? I'm not being antagonistic here, I am genuinely curious.

> I did think of proposing some outrageous
> joke, such that the "$" stood for "dollar",
> but given the obvious differences between a
> S and a d nobody would of course fall for
> that. You'd almost think the symbol was
> chosen by a bunch of freemason freethinkers
> who were aware of the Malatestas'
> mostly-hidden roles in freemasonry,
> Rosicrucianism, and other anti-clerical
> movements through the centuries, starting
> with the Renaissance's rediscovery of Pagan
> classicism. Nah, nobody would ever fall
> for THAT one, either.

Well FWIW, I have always heard that the origin of the dollar sign was
early United States currency. Originally, this currency had a fairly thin
capital "U" overlaying a capital "S" to indicate that it was United States,
or "US" currency. Eventually the US ligature degenerated into the
double-barred dollar sign which was ubiquitous before the typewriter, and
later the computer, degenerated it even further into the single-barred
dollar sign "$" we use today. I have heard other theories, and many of them
even claim that the dollar sign predates 1776, although usually by only a
few years. But I have yet to hear anyone discount the "US" theory or
present a more plausible one.

If anyone has anything more definitive, I would be interested in hearing
about it.

- Warren Brown

[Hal Fulton]

Warren Brown wrote:

> Interesting. I have never heard it suggested that the Malatesta "logo"
> was the inspiration for the dollar sign. Do you have any reference to back
> up this claim? I'm not being antagonistic here, I am genuinely curious.

Me, too. I've never heard the name Malatesta except in an opera
I saw when I was twelve. Seriously. (Italian opera translated into
English -- forget which.)

> Well FWIW, I have always heard that the origin of the dollar sign was
> early United States currency. Originally, this currency had a fairly thin
> capital "U" overlaying a capital "S" to indicate that it was United States,
> or "US" currency. Eventually the US ligature degenerated into the
> double-barred dollar sign which was ubiquitous before the typewriter, and
> later the computer, degenerated it even further into the single-barred
> dollar sign "$" we use today. I have heard other theories, and many of them
> even claim that the dollar sign predates 1776, although usually by only a
> few years. But I have yet to hear anyone discount the "US" theory or
> present a more plausible one.
>
> If anyone has anything more definitive, I would be interested in hearing
> about it.

I read once that the inventor/introducer of the dollar sign (and I've
lost the reference) is buried in (my home state of) Mississippi.

But if the dollar sign comes from Italy, then, umm, there must be
someone else in that grave. :D

Hal