The dollar sign is arguably the most recognizable symbol in the world.
For instance, would you rather have 100,000 or $100,000?
Easy question. But, can you answer this… How and where did the dollar sign originate?
Probably not as easy, so we tracked down some information in hopes of filling your heart with ❤ when learning about $.
Long story short, the United States dollar got its name from the Spanish dollar (peso de ocho, rather). Since keyboards didn’t exist in the 1770s, people writing shorthand would often abbreviate to write quicker.
Even w the use of keyboards, ppl still abbr. LOL.
Let’s remember that during those times, silver and gold coins were used for currency. The peso de ocho (piece of eight, aka Spanish dollar) was the coin of choice for international trade, and with it being used across the globe, many modern names for currency are based off of peso de ocho, according to this explanation.
Anyway, when scribing the Spanish dollar, peso was shortened to read “p” and “ps” for convenience. Eventually, by the early 1800s, the “S” was written atop the “P” so frequently to form something close to the current symbol, that it became the norm when talking about money. It was also appearing on manuscripts in America, and by the time paper money was being distributed in the U.S. by 1875, the $ was widely used and accepted in print across the country.
Since that time, the dollar sign has only strengthened its visibility.
While that theory is the most popular, another many of us heard in grade school is often brought up in regards to the dollar sign’s creation.
This theory states the U.S. initials were written on top of each other — without the lower portion of the U — to create the double line dollar sign symbol. However, many argue the symbol was being used before the U.S. formed on July 4, 1776, so it doesn’t have as much traction.
Do you know of any other theories?
We’d love to know any stories you have heard regarding the $. Feel free to leave us your thoughts in the comments below or on our facebook.
I watched a series on the discovery channel called mankind. There it stated the $ came from a combination of the design on the piece of eight silver coin. The way they explained it seemed to me it could have very well been. I do however would love to own a piece of eight coin.