Encyclopedia of Early Modern History Online

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Coin of account
(963 words)

A coin of account is a monetary unit used only administratively and only for purposes of calculation or measurement. This distinguishes it from minted specie coins, which have purchasing power and serve concretely as media of exchange. The coins of account in use from the Middle Ages until the 18th century and to some extent into the 19th made it possible to record the prices of goods and the extent of payment transactions over long periods of time uniformly and in relatively long-lived units despite the multiplicity of early modern currencies,

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Schneider, Konrad, “Coin of account”, in: Encyclopedia of Early Modern History Online, Editors of the English edition: Graeme Dunphy, Andrew Gow. Original German Edition: Enzyklopädie der Neuzeit. Im Auftrag des Kulturwissenschaftlichen Instituts (Essen) und in Verbindung mit den Fachherausgebern herausgegeben von Friedrich Jaeger. Copyright © J.B. Metzlersche Verlagsbuchhandlung und Carl Ernst Poeschel Verlag GmbH 2005–2012. Consulted online on 19 March 2024 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/2352-0272_emho_SIM_026200>
First published online: 2015
First print edition: 20170206



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