# What does the $ in the dollar bill stand for? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [August 25, 2011, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-in-the-dollar-bill-stand-for/594003 "2011-08-25T04:16:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![johnebgood108](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/46a35a/32.png) [@johnebgood108](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnebgood108)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2011, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-in-the-dollar-bill-stand-for/594003/22 "2011-09-06T04:46:12Z")
it’s an ancient symbol - a snake, around the tree of life. ---
**Author:** ![JBDivmstr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b4bc9f/32.png) [@JBDivmstr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JBDivmstr)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2011, 7:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-in-the-dollar-bill-stand-for/594003/23 "2011-09-06T07:35:51Z")
> [@johnebgood108](#): > > it’s an ancient symbol - a snake, around the tree of life. Cite (or picture) please? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Cliffhanger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ee7513/32.png) [@Cliffhanger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffhanger)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2011, 11:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-in-the-dollar-bill-stand-for/594003/24 "2011-09-06T11:15:17Z")
I can’t site my source and I may well be wrong but I remember when I asked this many, many years ago, the answer I received seemed quite feasible: The the $ used to be **U** and **S** overlying each other and that the bottom of the **U** was simply cut off later. While this may not answer definitively, it’s sure seems practical, doesn’t it? ---
**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:** [September 6, 2011, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-in-the-dollar-bill-stand-for/594003/25 "2011-09-06T11:48:16Z")
Um, **Cliffhanger** , you might want to read the original article? It’s here: [What does the S in the dollar sign represent? - The Straight Dope](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/724/what-does-the-s-in-the-dollar-sign-represent) Cecil mentions the overlapping U and S theory as one of the urban legends that sounds great but has no basis in fact. ---
**Author:** ![whitetho](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whitetho/32/1059_2.png) [@whitetho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whitetho)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2011, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-in-the-dollar-bill-stand-for/594003/26 "2011-09-06T11:50:24Z")
> [@Cliffhanger](#): > > I can’t site my source and I may well be wrong but I remember when I asked this many, many years ago, the answer I received seemed quite feasible: The the $ used to be **U** and **S** overlying each other and that the bottom of the **U** was simply cut off later. While this may not answer definitively, it’s sure seems practical, doesn’t it? From Cecil’s original column [What does the S in the dollar sign represent?](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/724/what-does-the-s-in-the-dollar-sign-represent): The subject of the dollar sign was close to Professor Cajori’s heart, and he could get quite indignant on the subject. As he tartly noted in his book, “About a dozen different theories [on the dollar sign’s origin] have been advanced by men of imaginative minds, but not one of these would-be historians permitted himself to be hampered by the underlying facts.” Among the deficient hypotheses: (1) The dollar sign was originally the letters U and S superimposed. The idea here is that the original dollar sign had two vertical lines, not one. Popular though this idea is, there is zero documentary evidence for it. Furthermore, Robert Morris, the Revolutionary War financier and the first U.S. official to use the dollar sign, made it with a single vertical stroke. ---
**Author:** ![Cliffhanger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ee7513/32.png) [@Cliffhanger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffhanger)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2011, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-in-the-dollar-bill-stand-for/594003/27 "2011-09-06T11:58:28Z")
lol I _had_ read it. I meant where I’d heard it from was much, much earlier and that it seemed the most feasible and practical. I understand there’s no evidence to support it but I also believe it’s possible that this is being made harder than it has to be. That’s all. By my saying “made harder than it has to be”, I mean its origins, not the theories people are bringing forth. Admittedly, I had forgotten about the Robert Morris part though. OOPS! Carry on… ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2011, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-in-the-dollar-bill-stand-for/594003/28 "2011-09-06T12:19:56Z")
BTW, could it be that behind so many theories is that people simply can’t wrap their heads around the idea that once upon a time the _ **peso** _ was the standard for “hard currency” in this part of the world? ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2011, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-in-the-dollar-bill-stand-for/594003/29 "2011-09-06T12:23:26Z")
> [@Cliffhanger](#): > > I understand there’s no evidence to support it but I also believe it’s possible that this is being made harder than it has to be. There’s strong evidence against it, in that it was being used before the US existed. ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2011, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-in-the-dollar-bill-stand-for/594003/30 "2011-09-06T14:30:13Z")
> [@JRDelirious](#): > > BTW, could it be that behind so many theories is that people simply can’t wrap their heads around the idea that once upon a time the _ **peso** _ was the standard for “hard currency” in this part of the world? Not just in “this part of the world”. Due to Mexican and Peruvian silver, the Spanish Dollar [or “piece of eight” of pirate-themed legend] was a sort of universal proto-world currency … > **[Spanish dollar](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_dollar)** > > The Spanish dollar, also known as the piece of eight (Spanish: real de a ocho, dólar, peso duro, peso fuerte or peso), is a silver coin of approximately 38 mm (1.5 in) diameter worth eight Spanish reales. It was minted in the Spanish Empire following a monetary reform in 1497 with content 25.563 g (0.8219 ozt) fine silver. It was widely used as the first international currency because of its uniformity in standard and milling characteristics. Some countries countermarked the Spanish dollar so ... ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2011, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-in-the-dollar-bill-stand-for/594003/31 "2011-09-06T19:40:24Z")
> [@JBDivmstr](#): > > Cite (or picture) please? 😕 I’m thinking they may be misremembering the theory that it’s based on the Caduceus (a common symbol for commerce, before it was confused with the Rod of Asclepius and thus misapplied to medicine) - though the Caduceus and RoA are both staves twined with snakes, not trees. (Also, the theory has a major flaw in that the Caduceus has two snakes, not one, so a resultant symbol would look more like a crossed 8 than a crossed S.) ---
**Author:** ![JBDivmstr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b4bc9f/32.png) [@JBDivmstr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JBDivmstr)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2011, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-in-the-dollar-bill-stand-for/594003/32 "2011-09-06T22:14:23Z")
> [@Tengu](#): > > I’m thinking they may be misremembering the theory that it’s based on the Caduceus (a common symbol for commerce, before it was confused with the Rod of Asclepius and thus misapplied to medicine) - though the Caduceus and RoA are both staves twined with snakes, not trees. > > (Also, the theory has a major flaw in that the Caduceus has two snakes, not one, so a resultant symbol would look more like a crossed 8 than a crossed S.) THAT’S very interesting! I was in fact, thinking of the Caduceus when I asked for a cite. I did not know that there was another, that looked similar. :smack: Ignorance successfully fought, once again! 😃 Thanks, Tengu! 🙂 Here’s a pretty good link explaining the difference between the two symbols that Tengu referred to. [http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=10&ved=0CFEQFjAJ&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdrblayney.com%2FAsclepius.html&ei=YJtmTvC3Me6ksQLi4fnhAg&usg=AFQjCNEyYbbnJ1uoZhQ2dOuYymZE\_Gw8-A](http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=10&ved=0CFEQFjAJ&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdrblayney.com%2FAsclepius.html&ei=YJtmTvC3Me6ksQLi4fnhAg&usg=AFQjCNEyYbbnJ1uoZhQ2dOuYymZE_Gw8-A) ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2011, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-in-the-dollar-bill-stand-for/594003/33 "2011-09-07T00:27:32Z")
I have to say the story that seems most plausible to me is that it comes from the Pillars of Hercules design on the [Spanish \*real \*coins](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:1799_Carlos_III_Pillar_Real_Reverse.jpg). The pillar on the left certainly looks very much like the dollar sign we know today. (OK, this particular coin is from 1799 and so post-dates the origin of the $ sign, but it’s an iteration of earlier similar designs which were around from at least the [1730s](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columnarios). ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2011, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-in-the-dollar-bill-stand-for/594003/34 "2011-09-07T01:13:58Z")
Nothing to do with _sal_ (salt), either, which Romans used to pay their soldiers (thus the word _salary_). Just thought I’d mention. ---
**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:** [September 7, 2011, 11:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-in-the-dollar-bill-stand-for/594003/35 "2011-09-07T11:38:03Z")
It was obviously chosen because it’s the only symbol on ASCII that is exactly the same when turned upside down. [/silly mode] ---
**Author:** ![Lestrade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/94ad74/32.png) [@Lestrade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lestrade)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2011, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-in-the-dollar-bill-stand-for/594003/36 "2011-09-07T16:57:47Z")
> [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](#): > > It was obviously chosen because it’s the only symbol on ASCII that is exactly the same when turned upside down. [/silly mode] 0h. ---
**Author:** ![John\_W.Kennedy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_w.kennedy/32/1031_2.png) [@John\_W.Kennedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_W.Kennedy)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2011, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-in-the-dollar-bill-stand-for/594003/37 "2011-09-07T18:06:31Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > I have to say the story that seems most plausible to me is that it comes from the Pillars of Hercules design on the [Spanish \*real \*coins](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:1799_Carlos_III_Pillar_Real_Reverse.jpg). The pillar on the left certainly looks very much like the dollar sign we know today. > > (OK, this particular coin is from 1799 and so post-dates the origin of the $ sign, but it’s an iteration of earlier similar designs which were around from at least the [1730s](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columnarios). More to the point, the _Columnario_ was specifically minted in and for the new world. The only real difficulty is that the evolution from PS to $ can actually be traced in old mss., and this theory can’t. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2011, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-in-the-dollar-bill-stand-for/594003/38 "2011-09-08T17:59:50Z")
> [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](#): > > It was obviously chosen because it’s the only symbol on ASCII that is exactly the same when turned upside down. [/silly mode] Ø rly? [/xtra silly] ---
**Author:** ![JBDivmstr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b4bc9f/32.png) [@JBDivmstr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JBDivmstr)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2011, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-in-the-dollar-bill-stand-for/594003/39 "2011-09-08T19:38:28Z")
> [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](#): > > It was obviously chosen because it’s the only symbol on ASCII that is exactly the same when turned upside down. [/silly mode] What about % and ~ and #, aren’t those ASCII symbols? [/nit pick mode] 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Canadjun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2011, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-in-the-dollar-bill-stand-for/594003/40 "2011-09-08T21:53:15Z")
> [@JBDivmstr](#): > > What about % and ~ and #, aren’t those ASCII symbols? [/nit pick mode] 😃 And I and H and O and 0 … ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2011, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-in-the-dollar-bill-stand-for/594003/41 "2011-09-08T23:25:21Z")
> [@JBDivmstr](#): > > Ignorance successfully fought, once again! 😃 Thanks, Tengu! 🙂 _salutes, swirls cape, leaps out window_ [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-in-the-dollar-bill-stand-for/594003.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-in-the-dollar-bill-stand-for/594003.md?page=3)