46
votes
How much would 300 pounds (money value) weigh in Medieval England?
In that era, 300 pounds weighed 300 pounds, but it's a different pound.
Your example of Robin Hood fixes the time period during the reign of King Richard about 1175, though we must remember this is a ...
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44
votes
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How much were telegraphists in the 1950s paid?
An enlisted Naval serviceman was paid anything from $80 to $213/month, depending on rank and service. I can't find a clear US record, but the Canadians had the lowest (non-training) telegraphist grade ...
- 9,112
41
votes
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How did bank transactions (or "data" transactions) work when it took people weeks to travel vast distances?
Historically, the solution to this was the letter of credit, circular note, traveller's cheque, or similar. Basically, it was an attestation that the bearer of the document had deposited a certain ...
- 8,544
40
votes
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Was there a tax in the fifties for British citizens traveling abroad?
Currency restrictions existed between 1939 and 1979.
The main goal of these restrictions after 1945 was to insure that enough foreign exchange was available to finance needed imports from non-sterling ...
- 9,504
37
votes
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Leather 1.50 German gold mark
A real "Gold mark" it is not. Real leather it is, originally intended for shoe soles.
This is Notgeld or Ersatz-money, issued after the Great War during the period known as hyperinflation and was ...
- 80.8k
37
votes
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How did the Bolsheviks fund their government?
This is based on an Estonian radio show, 'Müstiline Venemaa' ('Mystical Russia') by historian David Vseviov, chapters 'The Financing of Bolshevik Activities', which described the pre-1917 financing, ...
- 10.8k
37
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How did bank transactions (or "data" transactions) work when it took people weeks to travel vast distances?
Quite simply, they did not guarantee atomicity or synchronicity, they guaranteed eventual consistency.
The general principle is simple: it doesn't matter when the money actually gets moved, provided ...
28
votes
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How much did Didius Julianus pay to become emperor of Rome?
Short Answer
Didius Julianus (ruled 28 March to 1 June 193 AD) promised a total of around 200 million sesterces to the Praetorians but apparently did not have sufficient funds to meet this commitment. ...
- 108k
24
votes
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What was the "Brakteaten" medieval monetary system?
It appears that the author, Margrit Kennedy, has either misunderstood or is deliberately misrepresenting the situation with Medieval bracteates.
Medieval bracteates (a form of pennies) are pieces of ...
- 77.3k
24
votes
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When and where were the first coins made showing the currency or a face value?
Edit 2: If symbols and punches count as a means of communicating a coin's denomination, then this article by Koray Konuk, which was published in the Oxford Handbook of Greek and Roman coinage, would ...
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19
votes
What coin is this? Arabic: 10 Fulus, over crossed wheat and lead
According to Jamila's Coins and Notes Collection blog, this is a modern iraqi coin from 1981. Here's a photo showing the front and back of that coin:
I've found it on on Jamila's blog, with an ...
- 3,346
15
votes
Why does some Califate money feature crosses?
The top picture is quite obviously a coin with a crude depiction of a seventh century "byzantine" emperor holding a globe with a cross on top. The early Muslim coins issued in former Roman ...
- 19.1k
14
votes
How much did it cost to attend events at the ancient Roman colosseum?
I have always understood they were free, paid for by the rich elite to woo/placate the general populace - hence the phrase "bread and circuses". According to the Wikipedia article you cite, the ...
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14
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When and why did round coins become a practical standard?
I have to agree with the comments. Most coins have always been round but maybe some Asian countries have had more non-round coins than other areas of the world. But it also depends on what you want to ...
- 418
13
votes
Can you tell me about this coin? श्री महेन्द्र वीर विक्रम शाहदेव 2012. i.e in English Sri Mahendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev 2012
This coin is from Nepal and belongs to King of Nepal Sri Mahendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev and came in existence in Vikrami Samvat 2012 (Gregorian calendar-1955).
letters inscribed are:-
श्री महेन्द्र ...
- 682
12
votes
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How much did it cost to attend events at the ancient Roman colosseum?
SHORT ANSWER
Entrance to the Colosseum was most likely free.
Spectators were sometimes given free food and gifts.
Tickets were probably distributed through patronage and / or were obtained through ...
- 108k
12
votes
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What is the approximate value of a Spanish ducat in 1557?
Lifting the contents of the very helpful link provided by @gvk into an answer:
Source: Fiat Money in 17th Century Castile, by François R. Velde, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, and Warren E. Weber, ...
- 13.4k
12
votes
Are there any examples of recurring payments in ancient times?
Here, from 428 BC, is a rather complicated real estate lease with a 60-year(!) term. 20 talents of dates per year, plus a number of other clauses and considerations.
Baga'miri, son of Mitradatu, ...
- 1,787
11
votes
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What does CONOB mean on ancient Roman coins?
Constantinopoli obryzum
According to a poorly cited Wikipedia article CON indicates the mint of Constantinople and OB is an abbreviation of obryzum, and quite literally translates to "1/72 of a ...
- 3,134
10
votes
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What time period did these notes come from?
The first set is a Japanese 10-yen banknote issued in 1946, during Allied occupation of Japan.
The second set is a one peso banknote issued in 1943 in occupied Philippines by the Japanese government.
...
- 97.4k
9
votes
How can the value of older currencies be expressed in modern units? How is the conversion rate calculated?
It would be inadequate if there weren't so much data collected over the centuries. The Roman Empire is a very well documented period. There are detailed price lists on what the Romans thought was ...
- 3,415
9
votes
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Which tools were available in 1933 for the Chinese government to intervene in the money market?
The short answer is that there was little in the way of pre-defined tools, but the government could rely on its governing and legislative powers to intervene on an ad-hoc basis.
There was no coherent ...
- 97.4k
9
votes
What is a medieval symbol for money/trade/banking?
In modern times three gold balls were often used by pawnbrokers to identify their shops. An old book about heraldry claimed that the three gold balls of pawnbrokers are based on the medieval signs ...
- 19.1k
9
votes
Are there any examples of recurring payments in ancient times?
When the First Punic War ended in 241 BC there were a number of clauses in the peace treaty.
The next order of business was money. Rome wasn’t going to let Carthage walk away without handing over a ...
- 19.1k
9
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Are there any examples of recurring payments in ancient times?
There are cases from Ancient Rome. For example, Rome's richest man, Crassus, sold houses on installment plans.
An article called Men at work: public construction, labor and society at middle ...
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8
votes
How can the value of older currencies be expressed in modern units? How is the conversion rate calculated?
The value of a currency at any time is measured by a figure called the Consumer Price Index: this takes into account the price of lots of different things and comes up with a single figure for that ...
- 189
8
votes
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How were large monetary transactions conducted in medieval Europe?
As almost always: Large money transfers were done in medieval Europe just in the manner this was done since Sumerian times. By transferring debt. These obligations were not only transferrable but also ...
- 80.8k
7
votes
How important was currency inflation in Fall of Roman Empire?
It is fair to say it was a contributing factor. Often currency devaluations would take place to fund responses to other crisis. I.E. You are losing in a war in Parthia and need more troops but the ...
- 522
7
votes
When have salaries been paid in kind, not cash?
In the US rail road workers were often paid in such a way that their earnings usually got devoted to their food and board. In todays terms it would be like getting $500 a week but having to spend $495 ...
- 774
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