Where Do Currency Signs Come From?

3 January 2018, 16:09

What is the origin of the symbols that represent the dollar, or pound, or euro? Who makes these symbols?

Question:

Pound signs, euro signs, dollar signs. Signs for currency – where do they come from?

Ravi, Elton

Answer:

**(Partially) DEFINITIVE**

Name: Tony, Chatham

Qualification: Quiz-nut, professional quizzer, gets a free drink if he gets a round of applause

Answer: partial answer for the dollar sign: it used to be a ‘P’ with an ’S’ through it for ‘peso’, because they did early trading with the Mexicans when they moved to west. Eventually, it simply became an 'S' with two sticks through it.

Name: Phil, Immingham

Answer: the £ sign is just a glorified 'L' sign for ‘libra’ from Roman times.