World Coins Dictionary of Numismatic Names F.

Face. The two faces of a coin are the
01)vcrsc and Reverse {q.v.).
Face. The French term for obverse.
Face. A French shuifj expression for
any coin having a portrait stamped upon it.
Fadge is cited by J. H. Vaux, in his
Flash Dictionari/, 1812, as a slang term for
a Farthinfr.
Falconer's Half Crown. A name frivcn
to a vaript\' of half Crown of ("iiarlcs I,
issued by the Scottish mint, and bearing
the letter F under the horses' feet. This
type was executed by .John Falconer, the
son-in-law of \icholas Briot and the warden
of the Edinburgh mint.
Falkendukat. The name given to a
variety of the gold Ducat issued by the
Margrave Karl Wilhelm F'riedrich, of
Hrandenburg-Aiispach (IT^O-lToT). It
bears on the obverse a hooded falcon, and
on the reverse a falconer on horseback. A
corres])oiiding silver coin is known as the
Falkenthaler.
Falken Schild. The Chaise d"Or struck
at Antwi'i'p during the fourteenth century
is so called, from Falco of Pistoia, the
mint master.
Fals. See Fels.
Falsche Miinzen. The German equivalent
f<ii- cijuntci'feit coins.
Faluce, or Falus. A copper coin of
^Madras and vicinity, issued early in the
eighteenth century, and of a value of
twenty Cash, or Kas.
On a Madras copper of 1801 the obverse
has an Aral)ic inscription indicating its
value to lie two Falus, and the reverse inscription
is partly in English and partly
in Telugu, statijig a value of two Dubs.
The Dul) and the Falus may therefore be
considered as synonymous.
In 17!t4 a one forty-eighth copper Rupee
was struck by the United East India Company
for the Circars, a large district on
the coa.st of the Bay of Bengal to the north
[HI
of the Carnatic country. In this coin an
attempt was made to assimilate the Muhammadan
with the Hindu monetary system,
as the forty-eighth jjart of a Rupee
is just equal to the piece of twenty Kas.
Falus. The plural of Fels (q.v.).
Family Coins. See Consular Coins.
Fanam. A word probably corrupted
from Paimni liy Europeans. A name given
to both gold and silver coins which are
common in the southern part of India.
The gold Fanam is a minute coin circulating
in Travancore and on the Malabar
Coast.
The silver Fanam probably originated at
the Bombay mint in the middle of the
seventeenth century. The earliest types
have on the obver.se two C's interlinked,
and on the reverse the figure of a deity,
Vishnu or Swami.
In Travancore the silver Fanam has a
value of ff)ur Chakranis; in Madras it is
equal to four Falus.
A silver jiiece of five Fanams was issued
by Denmark, in 168."], for its possessions
in Tran(iuebar. France struck Fanams
from the time of Louis XIV to the year
18:37 for its po.ssessions in Pondichery,
Chandernagor, etc. There arc many varieties,
for detailed account of which ste Zay
(p. 29.5 ef seq.).
The Fanam struck by the French at
Pondichery for use at Mahe on the I\Ialabar
Coast is the fifth part of a Rupee and
is divided into fifteen Biches, i.e.. Pice.
Conf. also Elliot (part IV).
In the coinage of early India the Fanam
was a gold coin weighing somewhat over
five grains and equal to the tenth jiart of
the Pagoda. See Pana and Paiumi.
Fanon. The French name for the Fanam
( q.v. 1
.
Farthing. This word was origiiudly
feorthing, and the term "fourthling" occ\
n-s in the Anglo-Saxon version of the
(Jospcls (Matthew v. 26, and Luke .\xi. 2).
 At first the Farthing: was the fourth part
of a silver penny, and it no donbt received
its name from the practice of cntting pennies
into quarters ; specimens of these have
been fonnd dating back to the time of Edward
tlie Confessor.
Farthings of silver were first struck under
Edward I for England, although John
had coined them as Lord of Ireland in
1210. Gold farthings are mentioned in an
Act of the ninth year of Henry V, i.e.,
1421 ; and a project for coining fartliings
in tin was brought up about 1679, and this
metal was used for them to a small e.Ktent
in the latter part of the reign of Charles II.
James I, in 1613, granted a patent to
Lord Harington, of Exton, in the county
of Rutland, to strike Royal Tokens, each
of the nominal value of one farthing.
These pieces were nicknamed Haringtons.
The silver farthings were last coined in
the reign of Edward VI, and in 1561 a
three-farthing piece was ordered to be
struck. This was discontinued in 1582.
The copper farthing was originally
struck in the reign of James I. In 1635,
a farthing token, called the Rose Farthing,
or Royal Farthing, was issued ; it was
coined in copper, but was sometimes composed
of two metals to make counterfeiting
more difficult. It obtained its name from
the rose surmounted by a crown on the reverse.
The proclamation of Charles II, dated
August 16, 1672, made the farthing a legal
tender only for sums less than sixpence.
In the reign of James II the fartliings
were made of tin, with a square plug of
coii[)er in the centre.
During the reign of Queen Anne no copper
mone.y was struck for currency, but
patterns for farthings were minted. One
of these, executed shortly before the
Queen's death, gave ri.se to the vulgar
error that only three farthings were issued
in this reign. This variety was put in circulation
and is not rare.
Half Fartliings were struck in 1828 and
later, for use in Ceylon; one third Farthings
appeared in 1827 to supersede the
Grani of ]\Ialta; f|uarter Farthings have
also been issued for colonial use.
Farthing. The translators of the New
Testament use this word several times, and
in each instance the original text indicates
a different coin.
In the Gospel of St. Matthew (x. 29)
the Greek text reads aacapiov; in St. Luke
(xii. 6) the Vulgate has dupondius; finally
in St. Matthew (v. 26) and St. IMark (xii.
-12), the Greek word is /.oopavTr)?.
Faruki. The name given to the gold
Pagoda of Mysore by Tipu Sultan in the
year A.M. 1216, (.e., 1787, that is the year
following his new system of dates based on
the Mnludi, the year of the birth of the
Propliet.
The name is derived from Omar Pariik,
the second Khalifa.
Federal Coinage. See League Coinage.
Fedem Thaler. A popular name for a
Thaler which was supposed to be worth one
Groschen more than the ordinary issues.
Berthold Auerbach refers to them in his
novel Barfiissele (p. 245), but does not
specify what district they belong to.
Fedgat. A name given to pieces of
coarse cotton cloth, about nine inches in
width, and eighteen or twenty feet in
length, which circulated as money in Ethiopia
and other parts of Africa. One piece
of this cloth is of tiie value of sixty pieces
of the iron "Ilashshah" (q.v.).
Fehrbeliiner Sieges Thaler. See Sieges
Thaler.
Fei. The native name for the Stone
Money (q.r.) used on the Island of Yap.
Feingolds^lden. The name given by
German mnnismatists to the Fiorino d'Oro.
Feinsilberthaler. A denimiination struck
by William IX of Hanover in 1835 and
1836 and copied bv Ernst August in 1838.
See Schwalliach (88, 92).
Feldthaler, Feldklippe. The general
name for a coin struck during the coiu'se
of a campaign. iSVr" ilailliet {passim). The
Dutch have a siinihir term, Velddaalder,
which includes obsidional coins.
Felipo. See Filippo.
Fels, jilnral Falus. The general Arabic
name for a copper coin; tiie name denotes
any piece of money accepted by weight,
though it is commoiily used to indicate a
particular cojijier issue. Po.ssibly the name
was derived from the Roman Follis. See
Pagoda.
Fell Fewreysen
The eniii is very coiniiKni in Morooco.
where niiiltiplcs of two and four Fiilus
oeeiir as early as tiic reiirn of Muley Solciluan
(A.II. il2()7-ll2:{S). Its eharaeteristic
desiirn eoiisists of two ('(|iiilaterai trianiilcs
so overlaid as to form a six-pointed star.
The type was copied in other Rluhammadaii
coiiiitries.
Felus. See Kasbegi.
Femtia. The popuhir name for the
Swedish bank-note of fifty Krona.
Fen, or Fun. 'I'lie Chinese name for
what foreifrners call the Candareen. Tiie
modern Chinese silver coins are found with
the following values inscribed on them
:
7 Miu'e. 2 i'andnrpons =z one Yuan, in' I>olIar
3 Mace, G Canilarcous = one half Yuan, nr Dnllar
1 Mace, 4.4 Caudareens — une fifth Ynaii. or Dollar
7.2 Candareens = one tenth Yuan, or DoMar
3.6 Candareens = one twentieth Y'nau. or Hollar
The Fen Ls used in some instances as
the equivalent of the Cent.
In the Sino-Tibetan coinage a Tael of
silver is comi)uted at eighteen Pen. Tiie
latter coin is valued at one tenth of the
Chien {q.v.). Pieces of five Fen issued for
Kasligai- have a stpiare hole in the centre
and Chinese characters.
The C'hinese rebel ruler, Wu-san-Kwei,
of the Tsehao-wu ei)och (1673-1679), issued
the Fen extensively.
Fenice. Sec Phoenix.
Feorlainn. The Gaelic name for a
Farthing.
Feorthing. iSVr Fartliing.
Ferding. A silver coin issued by the
Bishops of l)oi'|)at as earlv as IS'iS, and
by Erik XIV of Sweden, for Keval, in ]r)61
and later. It also belongs to the currency
of the Order of Livonia. The name means
one fourth, and four were originally computed
to the Mark. I)ut the later issues
became so depreciated that they were only
wnrtli one half the original amount. See
Mite.
Ferling Noble. A name given to the
quarter Noble, lirst issued by Edward 111.
See Noble.
Ruding (\. 222) states that in 1:546 Pereival
de Porche, master of the mint, "covenanted
to make Mailles and Ferliiiu'es of
the alloy of old sterling. The Mailles to
be of the wei<rlit of the standard of the
Tower of London, and 2."^ shillings and
three pence in number to the ixmiid."
Femandino, or Ferrandino. The jxipii
lar dcsjoiiMt i(]n fur llic .Xcapulilaii Ducali
struck by Kcnlinaiid 1 of Aragon (1458-
14!)4j.
Ferrarino. A billon coin of Ferrara.
S(r Holognino.
Fert. A gold coin of Savoy struck by
Duke Lodovico (1439-1465). It is supposed
to have received its name from the
initial letters of the motto Fatiifudo Eius
Hhudum Tenuit, which was used by the
family since the thirteenth centui'y. Mrs.
Bury Palisser, in Historic /)ci<ice.<i, 1870
(p. 2-'10), demolishes the story of the defense
of Rhodes by Amedeus IV (1232-
1253).
On a ten Scudi d'Oro of Victoi- Amedeus
I (1630-1637) the legend reads Focdrre et
Rcliginne Trnemur. Both the Scudo d'Oro
and the Testone of Carlo II (l.')04-1553),
struck at Nizza, Aosta, etc., have on the
reverse a shield dividiiio' the letters fe-rt.
Cinif. also Forte.
Ferto. The one fourlli of the Mark
(q.v.).
Festing Penny. According to Wharton,
Ijdic Lr.ricon. l<Sfi4, this was "earnest given
to servants when hired or retained in service."
It was called the (iod Penny. See
Earnest.
Fettmannchen. The popular name for
the billon pieces of eight and six Heller
which appeared from tlie latter j)art of the
sixteenth to the middle of the seventeenth
ci>iituries at Coloy'iie. Trier, Juliers, Cleve,
etc. The name is said to be derived from
the short, stout figure of some saint or
ecclesiastic on the obverse.
Tender the Abbesses of Essen (1646-
16cSS) their value was fixed at one one
hundred and twentieth Thaler.
Feuchtwanger Metal. A composition
resembling nickel, wliicli receives its name
from Dr. Lewis Feuchtwanger, who endeavored
to induce the United States Congress
in 1837 to adopt it for the manufacture
of the minor coins.
Fewreysen, or Vureysen. This is menlioned
b\- Budelius, Or Mmirtis. 1591 (p]i.
250, 253), as a silver coin worth nine and
one half Pfennige. It is no doubt a corruption
of the German word Feiicr-eisoi,
i.( .. a steel for striking fire, and the coin referred to is probably the Briquet {q.v.).
Scr also Azzalino.
Fiat Money. The name given to a paper
eurreiiey issued by a government but which
is not redeemable in coin or bullion.
Fiddle. A slanj,' Englisli stock-exchange
term and used for transactions involving
the one sixteenth part of a Pound sterling.
Fiddler. An English slang expression
meaning a six pence. Grose, in A Dictionari/
of the VHUjar Tongue. 1785, has,
"Fiddlers' Money, all sixpences." The
term may have originated from tlie old
custom of each couple at a dance paying
tlie fiddler sixpence.
Field. The blank space on either side
of a coin not occupied by the head, inscriptions,
etc.
Fierer. See Viei'er.
Filiberto. The popular name for a gold
coin, issued by Emanuel Filibert of Savoy
(1553-1559), "of the value of three Scudi
d'Oro. The silver coin of the same was
equal to one twelfth of the silver Scudo.
Filippo, or Felipo. A name given to tlie
silver Scudo struck by Philip II of Spain
and his successors for the Duchy of Milan.
There are dated specimens as early as
1598, and halves, (puirters, and eighths
exist.
The Scudo di Oro of IMilan is also occasionally
referred to by this name.
Filippone. A base silver coin of Filippo
of Savoy, Prince of Achaia (1297-1334);
it was valued at one twenty-fourth of the
Grossd Tdnii'se.
Filipsdaalder. See Pliilippus Uaalder.
Filips Gulden. The name given to a
variety of tlic gold Florin issued by Philip,
Arclidnkc of Ansti-ia, for Brabant, in the
latter jwirt of the fifteenth century. There
is a ilated si)ecimcM with St. Phili]) W'th
a sceptre and book on the obverse, and the
inscri]ition : s.\ncte phe intercede pro
NOBIS. 1499.
The reverse has an ornamented cross,
and Piis DEI (iRA ARCHiinx avst px bvr bra.
There is a half of the same tyi)e. »SVt
Pliilippus.
Filler. A copper denomination of Hungary
introdueeil in 1892. It rejiresents the
one huiulrcdth part of the Korona.
[
Fillet Head. The name given to a variety
of the United States Cents and half
Cents issued from 1796 to 1807 on which
the hair of the head of Liberty is tied with
a ribbon.
Filthy Lucre. See Lucre.
Finances. The revenue of a sovereign
or state, or the money raised by loans,
taxes, etc., for the public service.
Find. A term applied to a discovery of
coins, and corresponding to the French
trouruiille.
Finif. A Yiddish term for the five-dollar
bill of the United States; the word is,
no doubt, a corruption of the Gennan
"fiiiif, "' meaning five.
Finkenauge. »S'ee Vinkenauge.
Fiordaliso d'Oro. See Lis d'Or.
Fior di Conio. <S'ee Fleur de Coin.
Fiorino. See Florin.
Fip. A corruption of "fipny bit," i.e.,
a "five-penny bit." It was used in the
Eastern Middle States for the Spanish
Medio or half Keal.
Firdung. The one fourth of the Mark
(q.v.).
Firleyoe Mont. A Danish term meaning
"four mints," and applied to coins
which were current in the four Hanseatic
cities : Liibeck, Rostock, Wisniar, and
Stralsnnd.
Fisca. A former silver denomination of
the Canary Islands and equal to one sixteentli
of the Spanish Piastre.
Fish-Hook Money. See Larin.
Fish Money. A name given to a variety
of copper coins issued at Olbia, in Sarmatia,
which resemble a fish in shape. Authorities
differ, however, whether these
"fishes," as they are called were true coins
or only commercial tokens used in the fish
trade, for which Olbia was famous. Couf.
P>abel()n (])p. 8 and 83), and von Sallet,
in Zeitxchrift fiir Niiwisinatik, 1883 (x.
144).
Fitpence. A corruption of fivepence. It
is an English dialect term, and is used in
Somersetshire, Dorsetshire, and Devonsliire.
Fiver. A popidar name for tlie five-
|iound note of the Bank of England.
S4]
Habbe Florin
Whyte Melville, in Dif/hji Crnnd. ISfi^
(i.), says: "Spooner . . . loses a live-|)i)uiKl
note, or, as lie calls it, a tiver"; and Uoyle,
in Shcrliick Ifoliiifs, has, "I'll lay yon a
fiver . . . that yon will never lieai' I'i'oiii
him a^ain."
Flabbe. A billon eoiri struck in (Jroningeii
from the middle of tiie fifteenth century,
antl co])ied at Deventei- Zwolle, and
other towns. It had a value of four Stnivers.
Sff Langrok.
Flag. An obsolete English slang expression
for a Groat or fourpenee. Thomas
llarnian, in A Cirvcat or Wari'iiiiuj for
Vdijiibinics. 1507 (85), says: "A flagge, a
wyn, and a make (a grot, a penny, and
a halfe penny)."
Flan. The blank piece of metal which
is to receive the impression for tlie coin.
In old French the word is written flaon,
and it is derived from fliitiini. The verb
flare is employed to designate tlie casting
of metal into a mold, and the Roman mintmasters
were ofitleially termed /// viri
A.A.A.F.P., i.e., Triumviri aura, arijciito.
aeri, flnndo, feriundo. See Planehet.
Flan Bruni. An expression used by
Frencli numismatists to indicate a coin or
medal struck from a polisiied die and
eorrcs|ionding to onr proof.
Fledermaus, meaning a bat, was tlie
nickname given to the Griisehel of Silesia,
and the base silver Kreuzer of Prussia
struck at the beginning of the nineteentli
century, on account of the sniijiosed resemblance
of the eagle on these coins to a
bat.
Fleur de Coin. A French term which,
when apiilied to describe a coin, signifies
in mint condition. The Italian ecpiivalent
is fior di conio.
Fleur de Lis. An early Freii(!]i gold
coin. iScf Franc a Pied.
Flicca, or "Flica. A popular name used
in Fiume and other parts of Nortliern
Ital.v f(n' a jiiece of ten Soldi.
Flimsy. An English slang expression
for a bank-note or paper money in general,
which name is probably due to the
frail nature of jiaper as coiii])ared with
metallic currency. Barham uses the term
in the Ingoldsby Legends.
[S.5
Flinderke. A money of account used in
Bremen and comiJUted at four (iroten.
.lungk (p. 100) ([uoles a system of reckoning
based on Peter Roster's work, Neue
Wohhirfjriindcff Ilniner Miinze, 1664, as
follows
:
1 Relchsthaler = 2 Gulden
(J Kopfslijckt'
1(! niit.liiMi
18 Fllii,l,.rk.-ri
l-' (iri.li'ii
3I1II Sihwnrcn
Flindrich. A silver coin of Fast Friesland,
Oldenburg, etc., issued during the
fifteenth century. It was valued at three
Stiiber.
Flitter. A very small base silver coin
of thin workmanship and resembling the
Bracteates. They appeared in (ioslar as
early as 1620, and later in Ilameln, iwppe,
Niu'tlieim, etc.
Florette. A variety of the Oros struck
I)y Charles VI of France ( l:iS0-14L'L> ) and
whicli had a value of twenty Deniers Tournois,
or sixteen Deniers Parisis. It obtained
its name from the tiiree large flenrs
de lis on the obverse. See Hoffmann (17-
21, etc.).
The tvpe was cojiied in the Anulo-dallic
series by Henry V (14ir)-1422).
Florin. The gold Florin, according to
Villari, was first coined in the Kepublic
of Florence, in the year 1252. The obverse
bore a full-length figure of St. John
the Baptist, with the legend s. ioannes. b.,
i.e., Sanctus Johannes Baptista. On the
reverse was a lily, the arms of the city of
Florence, and tlie inscription fi,(>rkntia,
usually preceded by a small cross.
The excellence of the gold made the
fiorino d'oro, as it was commonly called,
speedily current throughout Europe, and
tlic type was adojited by all the principal
powers, as well as by other potentates who
possessed the right to strike money.
In England the gold Florin was first
issued by Edward 111 in 1343, for Aipiitaine.
The indenture made states that it
was "to be equal in weight to two jietit
florins of Florence of good weight," i.e.,
108 grains, and of the same fineness, namely,
23 carats and 31/2 grains pure gold to
half a grain of alloy; and the half and
quarter Florin in the same iiroportion. By
the ])roelamation of .lanuary 27, 1343, these coins were described as "one coin with two
leopards, each piece to be current for six
shillings, another piece of one leopard,
and another piece of one helm, being respectively
the half and quarter of the
larger coin," and they were ordered to be
accepted by all persons. It was, however,
soon discovered that the coins were valued
too higli, and they were consequently generally
refused; this led to their being discontinued
in the following year. The half
Florins were commonly called Leopards
(q.v.).
In France, King Charles V issued a gold
coin called the Florin d'Or, which was copied
after the Florentine type ; it was, however,
not very long in u.se, as, according
to Leblane, it was considered "derogatory
to the dignity of the crown, being borrowed.
'
'
The gold Florin was also extensively
copied in other parts of Italy, as well as
in Spain, the Low Countries, and especially
in Hungaiy and Germany. These imitations
usually retained the obverse inscriptions
of the Florentine type, but to the
same were added small marks, letters, tigures,
crowns, and similar devices ; while on
the reverse the name of the mint appears
in some cases, and the armorial shield of
the locality or the mintmaster is frequently
substituted for the lily.
Prior to the introduction of the Florin
the coinage of the German States consisted
chiefly of silver of the denarius and pfennig
types, all of which were more or less
base. The new coin was, therefore, called
the Giilden Penning, or gold Pfennig, a
designation which was gradually abbreviated
into Gulden (q.v.).
Florin. The silver Florin, or fiorino
d'argento, of Florence was introduced
about the same time as the gold coin of
the same name, its value being one tenth
of the latter. It bore the rhyming Latin
verse
:
Det tihi /Jorcrc
Christiis, Florentla, rerc.
The Florins of Gernumy and Austria are
multiples of 100 Kreuzer, and those of the
Netlicrltinds of 28 Stuivers. All these coins
are of the same value as the silver Gulden
(q-v-).
Silver Florins, or two .shilling pieces,
were issued in England in 1849 with the
[
The English Florin circulated extensively
in Cyprus, but was replaced by a silver
coin of"l8 Piastres in 1901.
In 1910 and after, a silver coin insci'ibed
ONE FLORIN-TWO SHILLINGS was coincd for
Australia.
Florin-Georges. A gold coin of France
issued by Philip VI of Valois (1328-1350).
The obverse has a tigure of St. George on
horseback slaying a dragon with a spear.
The inscription reads : philippvs dei gra
PRACOR REX. These Florins were struck at
Languedoc, pursuant to an ordinance of
April 27, 1346.
Flury. A Florin. See Altun.
Flusch. Srr Mahmudi.
Flying Money. One of the names given
liy the Chinese to their early paper money.
Foghetti. The name given to half Grossi
struck in Parma by Pope Adrian VI (1522-
1523). They are also known as Pelegriui,
from the figure of Saint Thomas in a pilgrim's
habit.
FoUaro. A copper coin common to a
large numlier of the Italian states, of which
the Follis {q.i>.) was the prototype.
T]u\v were issued in Naples before the
ninth century, those of Stefanio (821-832)
having a figure of St. -Januarius. Capua
and Salerno struck them about the same
time. At Gaeta and Mileto they appear in
the eleventh century, and at Messina, Brindisi,
and Cattaro before the termination of
the twelfth. Those of the last-named town
bear the figure of St. Trifon, the patron
saint. Ragusa and Scutari issued them before
the fourteenth century, but after this
jieriod the}' were gradually superseded by
other coins.
Follis. The original meaning of this
word was a purse, or a bag containing
money Juven. (xiv. 281). After the monetary
reform of Constantine the Great this
term was employed alongside of the older
.sesterces (which soon disappeared) in accounts,
i.e., so many bags of gold (follis
auri), of silver (follis (irfjenici), or of copper
(follis ad drnnrismum. follis denariorum,
or full is arris). The use of this term
was connnonest for sums in bronze, and
soon the name follis was transferred to the
actual coin once contained in the follis
or purse. Certain decrees of Constantine
8(5 ]
Follis ad Denarismum Fractional Currency
view to ostablisliing a decimal systom in the
coinage. The piece was greatly ohjecti'd
to, on account of tiie omission of tlie letters
D. O., or Dei (IratUi, in the legend,
and it received the name of the (Jodless,
or graceless, Florin. Three ([uarters of a
million were struck, all dated 1849. The
ne.xt issue, in which tlic omission was remedied,
ai)peared in 1851, and is a broader
and thinner coin. The Florin of Edward
VJI, issued in 1902, shows the figure of
Britannia standing on tlie prow of a vessel,
her right hand holding a trident and
her left resting on a shield,
the Great and his immediate successors already
use follis as the name of a bronze
coin—the nunimus ccnteniunalis.
In the Byzantine Empii-e, from the time
of Anastasius, the name follis seems to
have been applied to the large copper
pieces of forty nuinnii first issued l)y that
Emperor.
Its divisions were indicated by Greek
letters, as follows:
M = 1 Follis. or -10 Niiniiiii
A = % FoUis, or 'M Niiinini
K = ','> FolUs, or ^2(1 Niiniml
I = Vi Follis. or In .Simiini
(also oall<.-il L>t-kaniiinriilon I
E = Vs Follis. or .^) Niiniiiii
(also called I'fnt.Tmiiimiion I
Later, the name came to be used for a
copper coin in general and waS' adopted
bv tlic Arabs as Fels, pi. Falus. See Babe-
Ion, Tniitr (i. 761-771).
Follis ad Denarismum. A purse or sum
of two liundred and tifty Denarii of bronze.
See Hultsch, Script, (vol. I, p. 308).
Follis Aeris. See Follis.
Follis Argentei. A purse or sum of one
hundred and twent.y-five Arguria. From
ancient sources we learn that in the Constantiniau
period a Follis Argentei was valued
at one hundred and twenty-five Millarenses,
or two hundred and eighteen Sili-
((uae plus eight Nummi of bronze. It was
e<iual to one eighth of the Follis Auri, or
nine gold Solid!. Babelon, Traile (i. 764,
765) and Hultsch, Script, (vol. 1, p. ;308).
FoUis Auri. A purse or sum of seventytwo
gold Solidi, equal in weight to a gold
Pound (libra). The term was also used
for its ecpiivalent in silver (one thousand
silver Millarenses), or in bronze (six thousand
bronze Denarii).
Follis Denariorum. See Follis ad Denarismum.
Fond. A variety of the "cut money"
and e(|ual to three llocos or two Shillings
and si.x Pence sterling. It was established
in the Windward Islands in 1840. See
Clialiaers (p. 91).
Fondug. See Funduk.
Forint. The Hungarian word for Florin.
It occurs usually in the abbr(;viated
form Frnt on the Austrian silver issues
specially struck for Hungary.
Forli, A former money of account used
in Egypt and computed at one si.xth of
the ^lediuo.
Fort. A rare gold coin struck at Bordeaux
by Charles of France, as Duke of
Acjuitaine (1469-1474). It has on the obverse
a lion, two leopards, and two fleui-s
de lis, and on the reverse the (piartered
arms of France and England. See Blanchet
(i. 298). It is sometimes called the
Samson d'Or.
Forte. This term, like the Italian titolo,
is used to indicate the fineness ratlier than
the value, and in this sense it is applied
to Portuguese silver coins issued under
Fernando 1 ; to those struck in Savoy during
the fourteenth century under Amedeo
VI, to the issues of the Fieschi Family for
^lesserano, etc. See Fert.
Fortuna Thaler, or Gliicksthaler. A
general term for anj' Thaler with the figure
of Fortuna, such as those struck in
Brunswick-Wolfenbiittel, Mecklenburg, etc.
In 162.3 and 1624 Christian IV of Denmark
i.ssued Thaler for Gliickstadt, which
bore the figure of Fortuna, the armorial
bearings of the city. These receive the
same name.
Fouage. See Smoke Farthings.
Fouang. See Fuang.
Fourre. See Plated Coins.
Fourthling. See Farthing.
Fractional Currency. This term is usuall\
apjilicd to an issue of pai)er money of
the United States of America which appeai-
ed from 1862 to 1876 inclusive. The
values ranged from three to fifty Cents.
There are five general i.ssues, as follows:
First Issiip. .\ugiist 21, 18r,2, to May 27. ISC.:!.
Si-.onil issiii'. Oi'tohcr 111. lS(;:i. to Foliruary 2:!. lS(i7.
Thinl issue. DecctnhiT ',. lS(!t. to ,\iiiL;ust U). lS(i9.
Fourth issue. July U. ISO!), to February It!. 1S75.
Fifth Issue, February 26, 1875, to February 15, 1876.
 Franc. Originally a French silver coin
of nearly tlie size of the Ecu or Crown,
the latter coin superseding: it in 1642. The
Franc was created under Henri III b.v a
decree dated Mareli 31, 1575, which established
its value at twenty Sols. The first
Revolution created a new silver coin on
whicli tlie name Franc was bestowed. By
an ordinance of March 28, 1803 (7 Germinal,
an. xi), it was decreed that the
Franc was to be nine hundred one thousandths
of ]nire silver, and that gold pieces
of twenty and forty Francs were to be
struck. At the same time the ratio of
silver and gold was made at fifteen and
one half to one, and the decimal system
was introduced.
The Franc, divided into one hundred
Centimes, has lieen adopted by the French
Colonies, Belgium (see Frank), Luxemburg,
IMonaco, Switzerland, etc.
Tlie term also occurs on the gold issues
for Sweden in 1868 and on the Austrian
gold coins for Hungary in 1880. In both
instances an attempt was made to harmonize
with the French decimal system but
was abandoned.
Beginning in 1904 tlie monetary system
of tlie Danisli West Indies was changed
and fifty Franc or ten Daler pieces and
twenty Franc or four Daler pieces in gold
were issued, as well as two and one Francs
or forty and twenty Cents in silver.
Franc a Cheval. The name given to an
earlv French gold coinage dating from
John II (1350-1364). The coins received
this name from the figure of the King on
horseliack, the type of the Gouden Rijder.
They were copied in tlie Low Countries,
and in Brabant, under Joanna (1355-
1405).
Franc a Pied. An early French gold
coin wliich receives its name from the
prominent figure of the ruler standing on
foot under a canop}^ It was also called
the Fleur-de-Lis from the large number of
these devices whicli are found on it. It
was introduced by (Charles V (1364-1380),
and was copied in Ligny, Provence, and
the Tjow Countries in general.
Francescone. The name given to the
Sciido struck ])y Francis III of Lorraine
(1737-1765) for Florence, Pisa, and other
cities of KliMiria. Its value was ten Paoli
[
and the designation was retained in the
coinage until the provisional government of
1S59.
Franchi. The plural of Franc in the
Italian language. The word occurs on the
modern series of paper money issued for
Switzerland. Conf. also Frank.
Franciscus. iSVe Dixain.
Franco. A silver coin of the Dominican
Republic of the value of one hundi'ed Centesimos.
It was introduced in 1891.
Francois d'Or. The name given to the
gold double Ducat issued by Francois III,
Duke of Lorraine (1726-1737). 'See De
Saulcy (xxxiv. 5).
Frank. A silver coin of Switzerland,
struck in Luzerne, Schwyz, and other cantons,
and the counterpart of the French
F'ranc. Its usual divisions were one hundred
Rappen.
In the recent Belgium coinage those
pieces that have Flemish legends have the
spelling Frank instead of Franc.
In the Napoleonic kingdom of Westphalia
gold coins of five, ten, twenty, and
fortv Franken were issued from 1809 to
1813.
This spelling occurs on the recent issues
of paper money for Switzerland as well
as the word Franc, the French equivalent.
The note in question bears the triple inscription,
CINQ FRANCS, PUNF FRANKEN,
CINQUE FRANCHI.
Franklin Cent. See Fugio Cent.
Fransida, jilural Fransidor or Fransidorna.
An expression used by Swedish
numismatists to signify the reverse of a
coin or medal. It is a compound word
meaning "the side away from the person."
See Atsida.
Franzi. The name formerly used for
the Levant Dollar in Arabia, and probably
derived from the portrait of the Emperor
Francis on the obverse. See Noback
(p. 679).
Frazione. A copper coin of Cagliari issued
by the Kings of Spain as rulers of
Sai-dinia in tlie seventeenth century.
Fredericks d'Or. A gold coin of Denmark
struck by Frederick VI pursuant to
an ordinance of February 3, 1827.
Frelucques. Minor coins of the Dukes
of Burgundy frequentl.v referred to as bass
]
Fretin Fun
iii^T in use diiriiifr tlio fiftepiitli cpiitiiry.
Dii Caiifio thinks tlicy were of small value,
tlicir name mcaniuf? a trifle.
Fretin, m- Fretone. A former base silver
coin of France. It is eited in a monetary
oi-dinance issued hy Cliarles VI in
l.'i')? while l)au|)liin, and another ordinance
of l:!71 mentions "hiiit pieces d'ar-
(jnit inilri'iiK III Frrt'tn."
Friedrichsdor. A former Prussian <i:old
coin. Aithouiiii oi'ijjfinally issued hy Frederick
William 1, it receives it name from
l-'redei-iek II, who struck it in Iar<re ((uantities.
Jt was abolished when the Mark
.system went into effect.
Frignacco, Frisaco, or Frisacense. The
name f;-iven to the Denari struck hy the
Patriarchs of A(|uile.ja early in the thirteenth
century and copied hy the Bishops
of Salzhurfj. Dii Cange cites a document
of 1278 in which their value is given as
e(|ual to thirteen Piccoli of Verona.
Fruste (Latin frustinii). A term u.sed
liy Flench numismatic writers to indicate
a coin or medal that has been badly worn
from usage.
Fu. The Chinese name for a species of
water-beetle. The word has been applied
to the copper Gash from veiy early times.
Fuage. See Smoke Farthings.
Fuang, 01- Fouang. A Siamese silver
coin, the eighth j)art of the Tical (q.v.).
It is e(|ual to two Song Pais (song meaning
two or double). The Fuang was extensively
copied in Cambodia.
Fuchs. A German slang or popular
name for a red cojiper coin, and formerly
frc((ucutly ai)i)lied to the Pfennig. The
word means a fox, and the allusion is of
course to the color.
Gold Fuchs is used for a Ducat. Th>is
Langbein, Ocdirhtc (ii. 137), has the lines:
Sliill il.T ;.'i-h.ifTI.'ii Koldfiicn Fiiclisi-.
I'.iiicl man iiiir KiipfiT in diT Hiichse." •
Fuddea, or Fuddih. Another name for
the double Pice of P.ombay, etc., when used
as a money of account. See Jlohur.
Fuerte. Sec Peso.
Funfer. A billon coin of Freiburg,
liausanue. and other Swiss eanton.s, issued
originally in the si.xteenth century with a
value of five Heller, and later fiveKreuzer.
[8!)
The name is also applied to the five
Kreuzer pieces of Bamberg, Salzburg,
Ileiuieberg, etc., and to the five Ferding
pieces of Riga.
Fiinfzehner. A silver coin of Austria,
Tyrol, etc., which i-eceives its name from
its value, i.e., fifteen Kreuzer. There is a
reference to this coin in the Chronica of
Melehior Balthasar Kupfersehmit, 1668,
where he states (p. 882) that attempts
were made to introduce counterfeit i)ieees
of this denomination from Tui-key into
Austria.
Fiirstengroschen. A silver coin of the
Margraves of Meissen first struck by Balthaser
at the close of the fourteenth century.
They resembled the Breitgrosdien
but were somewhat less in value and size.
They were extensively copied in other
localities, notably in Ile.ssen, and there is
a series of them for Magdeburg from 1570
and later, their value there being twelve
Pfeiniige.
Fugio Cent, sometimes called the Franklin
Cent, on account of the motto, "Mind
your Business," which was one of the sayings
of Benjamin Franklin, was the earliest
type of Cent issued by the Government
of the United States, it bears the date
1787, and there are a number of varieties.
The obverse shows a sundial with tlie
words p-tTGio 1787 and the above-mentioned
motto in the exergue. The suiulial
and motto are copied from the similar design
on the so-called Continental pewter
dollar struck in 1776. The latter has the
initials eo fecit, hence it is assumed that
pjdward Getz prepared the dies.
The reverse of the Fugio Cent bears an
outer circle of thirteen links in a chain,
indicative of the thirteen original states.
An inner circle is inscribed unitp;d states,
and this again encloses the motto we are
ONE in three lines.
Fuju Jimpo. See Jin Ni Zene.
Fumage. See Smoke Farthings.
Fun. The denomiiuition of certain of
the modern stnick coins of Korea. These
were first issued about 1886. There are
one Fun pieces in brass, five Funs in copper,
and quarter Yangs in nickel with the
value expressed by 2 Chun 5 Fun. See
Fen and Candareen.
Fiinduk, also called Fonduq. A gold Funeral Pieces, ftee Mortuary Pieces,
coin of the Ottoman Empire, issued early Fusil. A silver coin of the Bishopric
in the sixteenth century, and used not only of Liege issued by Louis de Bourbon (1456-
in Turkey but also in Egypt, Algiers and 14S2). There are corresponding halves
Tripoli. It corresponds to the Sequin, and and doubles. See de Chestret (passim).
originally weighed fifty-four grains, but at pyrk. A copper coin of Sweden which
later periods has been under fitty originally appeared under Gustavus Wasa
Under Alnned III (A H. lllo-1143) ap- ^^^^^ ^^^2, and was continued imtil the
peared the Toghralu-P unduk on which
i,eginning of the seventeenth century. Unthe
toghra or royal cipher was introduced.
^-^^^ Gustavus Adolfus it was struck for
See Fonrobert (No. 5U39). Arboga, Sater, and Nykoping.