# The dollar sign?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dollar-sign/105229>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [April 23, 2002, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dollar-sign/105229 "2002-04-23T22:10:04Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 7\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![geoffrey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc8723/32.png) [@geoffrey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/geoffrey)\
**Post date:** [April 23, 2002, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dollar-sign/105229/1 "2002-04-23T22:10:04Z")

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What is the origin of the dollar sign? $$$$

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**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\
**Post date:** [April 23, 2002, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dollar-sign/105229/2 "2002-04-23T22:33:21Z")

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Legend has it that it was originally the letters “U S” superimposed on top of one another. (Dollar signs in some fonts have **two** vertical bars in them, supposedly as remnants of the two vertical branches of a capital U.)

I’d take this legend with a grain of salt, though. Mexico uses the same symbol, $, to stand for Pesos.

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**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\
**Post date:** [April 23, 2002, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dollar-sign/105229/3 "2002-04-23T22:34:41Z")

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[http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a3\_178.html](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a3_178.html)

The ‘Search Archive’ feature is your friend…

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**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\
**Post date:** [April 23, 2002, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dollar-sign/105229/4 "2002-04-23T22:51:29Z")

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So the $ to stand for “Pesos” actually came **first** , and “peso” itself was an abbreviation for “peso de ocho” (piece of eight)?!

My, my, how times have changed!

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**Author:** ![Pythagoras](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/48db29/32.png) [@Pythagoras](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pythagoras)\
**Post date:** [April 23, 2002, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dollar-sign/105229/5 "2002-04-23T23:06:00Z")

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So other nations with the dollar as their currency are really putting what was once ‘U’ and ‘S’ superimposed in front of their dollar amounts?

TAKE THAT CANADA!

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**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\
**Post date:** [April 23, 2002, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dollar-sign/105229/6 "2002-04-23T23:39:13Z")

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**Pythagoras**  
If you read Cecil’s column, you will find out that the dollar sign probably is **NOT** composed of a **U** and and **S**.

Rather, it is a **P** and an **S**. Which came from the word pesetas.

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**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\
**Post date:** [April 24, 2002, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dollar-sign/105229/7 "2002-04-24T03:15:14Z")

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I thought King Reagan awoke from a dream one night, where he had sign the dollar sign $ emblazoned in the heavens in gold, and a voice that said, “By this sign, shall ye conquer!”

He went out the next day and bankrupted the Soviet Union.