# What's the smaller denomination of the Euro called? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 9, 2008, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-smaller-denomination-of-the-euro-called/462775 "2008-09-09T13:54:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Pushkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2008, 8:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-smaller-denomination-of-the-euro-called/462775/21 "2008-09-11T08:55:11Z")
It doesn’t really seem to make much difference to the sound of the word, cent, whether its followed by an ‘s’ or not. Not in Northern Ireland where we speak so quickly (when we cross the border to buy diesel and lotto tickets of course.) ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2008, 9:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-smaller-denomination-of-the-euro-called/462775/22 "2008-09-11T09:16:57Z")
> [@constanze](#): > > To add some trivia: in colloquial speech, in the times of DM, 10 Pfennig were called “Groschen” (an older form of currency; also the offical name for the Austrian currency). Many people now apply this to the 10 cent coin. Ah, same as the Spanish word “duro” has gone from meaning “5 pesetas” to meaning “5 céntimos (de euro)” (not to be mistaken with céntimos de peseta, which would be real, real tiny). So a duro is now worth 6 pesetas but buys less that a 5-peseta duro did in 2000. The original definition of peseta was the 5th part of a “peso duro” :), the duro is actually an older denomination than the peseta. ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2008, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-smaller-denomination-of-the-euro-called/462775/23 "2008-09-11T11:18:42Z")
In my professional experience the singular unit was always used pre and after the euro. That makes it look more “scientific” and professional. In science and engineering you always use the unit in singular. In accounting and financial documents I have always seen the singular used. That does not mean the common speech in the street does the same. > [@Nava](#): > > Ah, same as the Spanish word “duro” has gone from meaning “5 pesetas” to meaning “5 céntimos (de euro)” (not to be mistaken with céntimos de peseta, which would be real, real tiny). So a duro is now worth 6 pesetas but buys less that a 5-peseta duro did in 2000. Whoa! Hold on there just a minute! Something don’t add up! 1 euro = 166.386 pta ----\> 5 centimos = 8.32 pta BTW, I have never heard “duro” used for the 5 cent coin but it may be regional. A better example is that “céntimo” which used to be 1/100 of a peseta is now 1/100 of a euro. This is universally used and I have never, ever, heard anyone in Spain say “cent”. > [@Nava](#): > > The original definition of peseta was the 5th part of a “peso duro” :), the duro is actually an older denomination than the peseta. Old Spanish currency is a nightmare to reckon. The “peso duro” or “peso fuerte”, “piece of eight” in English, was the original US dollar. I have the last will of a Scottish ancestor of mine who left property in southern Spain dated 1813. The document was done in both English and Spanish and provides an interesting insight into the currency at the time. Unfortunately it is so complicated that I have not been able to make sense of it. Nothing adds up. But one thing which is clear is that “pesos duros” in Spanish is the same as “hard dollars” in English. This is from an email I was exchanging with another person who was collaborating in deciphering the awful handwriting of the documents: > [@](#): > > “dollars” was “pesos” in Spanish. There were different sorts of pesos > “hard dollars” = Pesos fuertes, Pesos duros. > > The USA did not beging minting its own currency until 1794 and the Spanish pesos, (dollars, pieces of 8 reales) were the main currency in the USA and around the world at the time. > > Reales de vellón, Reales de plata. > Vellón (alloy of silver and copper) and plata (silver) were the metals. > > Cuarto was also currency. > > 8.5 cuartos = 1 real de vellón > 2 reales de vellón = 1 real de plata > 15 reales de vellón = 1 peso sencillo > 1 real de a ocho (peso duro o peso fuerte) = 8 reales de plata > 1 escudo o ducado de plata = 5 reales de plata = 10 reales de vellón > 1 doblón de oro = 2 ducados de oro = 4 escudos de oro > = 8 escudos de plata = 40 reales de plata > > As there existed different kinds of dollars (pesos) it is specified "five thousand dollars of fifteen rials of vellon [each] " etc > > The exchange rate between units (metals) fluctuated and in the will we see it was 15 reales de vellón to the “peso duro” rather than the 16 quoted above. > > I have tried to check some of the figures in the will and I am totally confused because many things make no sense. > > For instance, in clause 7 we have > > 4617.55 pounds @ 40 ducats = 223518 Rials plate of sixteen quartos > 388.88 pounds @ 40 ducats = 9541 Rials plate > > works out that “Rials plate of sixteen quartos” were worth about twice as much as “Rials plate” > > and something here is off by a factor of 100 > > A ducat was worth about 10 reales de plata or about 20 reales de vellón but, according to the will, a ducat would be worth 1936.25 Rials plate of sixteen quartos or 981.38 Rials plate ---
**Author:** ![Petrobey\_Mavromihalis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bcef8e/32.png) [@Petrobey\_Mavromihalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Petrobey_Mavromihalis)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2008, 11:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-smaller-denomination-of-the-euro-called/462775/24 "2008-09-11T11:26:04Z")
> [@tschild](#): > > . . . except for Greece, where it’s λεπτό (sg.)/λεπτά (pl.) And for those of you who don’t read Greek that’s ‘lepto / lepta’. Oddly the same word also means ‘minute’ (as in 1/60th of an hour). I think it generally just means ‘a small bit of something larger’. ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2008, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-smaller-denomination-of-the-euro-called/462775/25 "2008-09-11T11:50:53Z")
> [@Petrobey\_Mavromihalis](#): > > And for those of you who don’t read Greek that’s ‘lepto / lepta’. Oddly the same word also means ‘minute’ (as in 1/60th of an hour). I think it generally just means ‘a small bit of something larger’. the words “minute” and “second” have similar derivation. Minute cames from “pars minuta prima”, first small part, and “second” from “pars minuta secunda”, second small part. Cent, of course, comes from “centum”, “one hundred”. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2008, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-smaller-denomination-of-the-euro-called/462775/26 "2008-09-11T12:17:14Z")
Around Nashville I hear it’s called a Mini Eurol.😉 Howdee! ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2008, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-smaller-denomination-of-the-euro-called/462775/27 "2008-09-11T13:16:05Z")
> [@sailor](#): > > I have the last will of a Scottish ancestor of mine who left property in southern Spain dated 1813. The document was done in both English and Spanish and provides an interesting insight into the currency at the time. Unfortunately it is so complicated that I have not been able to make sense of it. Nothing adds up. But one thing which is clear is that “pesos duros” in Spanish is the same as “hard dollars” in English. This is from an email I was exchanging with another person who was collaborating in deciphering the awful handwriting of the documents: Prior to decimalization, English money was a nightmare too. Shillings, pence, bits, pounds… Then for a little while after decimalization, it got even worse because the 10p piece was a shilling, only before decimalization it wasn’t a tenth of a pound… ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2008, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-smaller-denomination-of-the-euro-called/462775/28 "2008-09-11T13:26:54Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Prior to decimalization, English money was a nightmare too. Shillings, pence, bits, pounds… > > Then for a little while after decimalization, it got even worse because the 10p piece was a shilling, only before decimalization it wasn’t a tenth of a pound… Nothing compared to 1800 Spanish money. Modern British Pound/Shilling/pence was always at a fixed rate. The problem with Spanish money until the mid-late 19th century is that the exchange ratio would fluctuate depending of the fluctuating value of the metals (gold, silver, copper) and on global and local demand. So, at the time, 16 reales de vellón = 1 peso sencillo (16 rials bullion = 1 soft or simple peso) but in my relative’s will they are reckoned at 15 to 1. So, in fact Spain had several currencies which floated with respect to each other. Imagine if the USA used in everyday life dollars and euros and pounds with the exchange rate continually fluctuating. We sometimes think those people of old times were dumb and uneducated but those who were minimally educated managed to handle these things pretty well and better than most Americans can handle such things today. And they didn’t have electronic calculators. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2008, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-smaller-denomination-of-the-euro-called/462775/29 "2008-09-11T13:31:31Z")
Sheesh. No wonder the Spanish lost their empire! ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2008, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-smaller-denomination-of-the-euro-called/462775/30 "2008-09-11T13:34:44Z")
And to add to the mess, until the mid-XIX century treaty which unified Castilla and Navarra into a single kingdom with, among other things, cessation of import/export taxation between them and unification of coinage… there was more than one mint! And even more than that pre-War of Succesion (c. 1700), and mints in America, and the coins were supposed to be equivalent but if the Master of one Mint dipped too much then the coins would not be equivalent and… Have I mentioned I love having a single coin for all these countries in the EU? It makes travel so much easier! ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2008, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-smaller-denomination-of-the-euro-called/462775/31 "2008-09-11T13:51:07Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Prior to decimalization, English money was a nightmare too. Shillings, pence, bits, pounds… > > Then for a little while after decimalization, it got even worse because the 10p piece was a shilling, only before decimalization it wasn’t a tenth of a pound… No. The 5p piece replaced the shilling, and was still 1/20th of a pound. The 10p piece replaced the florin (2 shillings), and was still 1/10th of a pound. That was the whole point - the new coins were exactly the same size as the old ones, and had the same value. Until the 5p and 10p coins were shrunk (in 1990 and 1992 respectively), shillings and florins still circulated as 5p and 10p coins, and nobody really gave it a second thought. (I remember as a schoolboy thinking it was quite cool that these ancient (to me) coins from the 1930s and 1940s with long-dead kings on them were still in my pocket.) I was trying to Google up a side-by-side picture of the shillings, florins and 5p and 10p coins. The best I can find is [this](http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3079/2671185631_44f70b5315.jpg?v=0). Clockwise from top left, it shows an old 5p (pre-1990), a pre-decimal shilling (=5p), another old 5p, and a new 10p (post-1992, almost same size as old 5p). In the centre is a new (post-1990) 5p. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2008, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-smaller-denomination-of-the-euro-called/462775/32 "2008-09-11T14:12:02Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > That was the whole point - the new coins were exactly the same size as the old ones, and had the same value. Until the 5p and 10p coins were shrunk (in 1990 and 1992 respectively), shillings and florins still circulated as 5p and 10p coins, and nobody really gave it a second thought. (I remember as a schoolboy thinking it was quite cool that these ancient (to me) coins from the 1930s and 1940s with long-dead kings on them were still in my pocket.) Huh. My memory is way off, then. I thought the original shilling was 7 to the pound, or something. I do remember that the coins were the same size, though, although I thought the shilling was 10p, not 5. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2008, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-smaller-denomination-of-the-euro-called/462775/33 "2008-09-11T23:08:29Z")
Fun fact: Euros are also called yoyos in Ireland, by de kidz. ---
**Author:** ![Celyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9dc877/32.png) [@Celyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Celyn)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2008, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-smaller-denomination-of-the-euro-called/462775/34 "2008-09-11T23:54:56Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Huh. My memory is way off, then. I thought the original shilling was 7 to the pound, or something. I do remember that the coins were the same size, though, although I thought the shilling was 10p, not 5. Nope, twenty shillings to the pound and twelve pennies to a shilling. Not that I’m saying it makes much sense, of course. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Ragiel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6de8d8/32.png) [@Ragiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ragiel)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2008, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-smaller-denomination-of-the-euro-called/462775/35 "2008-09-14T01:45:31Z")
> [@Harmonious\_Discord](#): > > Around Nashville I hear it’s called a Mini Eurol.😉 > Howdee! That’s . . . painful. 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-smaller-denomination-of-the-euro-called/462775.md?page=1)