Letters & Coins....c

C - Short for cent, centime, centime, centavos, centesimi. Cent is from the Latin word centum, what means hundred.

C - Recognition letter for the mints of Kleef (Cleve), praag (Prague), Clausthal, Frankfurt, Caen, St. Lo Charlotte (USA), Kassel, Chester, Culmbach and Castelsarassin.

Calvario - Portuguese golden coin issued by Johann III (1521-1557), on the front the Portuguese coat of arms, on the reverse the passion cross. The weight was 3,6 grams and it was minted in the period 1555 to 1557.

Cammacks - the most important Irish copper coins on the end of the 18th century where called Cammacks, they where minted bij the owner of copper mines called Cammack.

Candareen - Chinese weight unit, a hundred candareen = 100 mace = 1 tael.

Carambole - French Ecu in the value of 80 sols issued by Lodewijk XIV, especially for Vlaanderen en only minted at the mint house in Lille in the period of 1685-1705.

Carolusgulder - a coin piece worth 20 stuiver, as well as in gold as in silver known.

Cartouche - name for the rolls and curls around coats of arms on coins, as well as for a roll of coins from the same kind.

Cartwheel - A large 2 penny piece of George III, this English coin was firstly minted in 1797 by Matthew Boulton at the Soho Mint.

Cash - in first place a collecting name from British colonists who went to the Indies for all kind of local currency so as the kasu in India and the ch'ien in China.

Caurieshell - primitive payment issue, there are 2 different shells known, the cypraea moneta and the cypraea annulus.

Cavalier d'or - French golden franc issued first in 1360.

CC - letters of the mint house of Carson City, Nevada USA.

Caduceus - the staff carried by the god Hermes or Mercurius had with him, with two snakes around it, often shown on roman coins.

Centenionalis - bronze roman coin, sometimes with a little silver in it, issued by Constans 337-350 and Constantius 337-361.

Centesimo - old coin currency from Italy with the value of 1/100 lira. Also currency of Vatican, Uruguay, Chile and Somalia.

Centiem - Currency from Belgium 100 centime = 1 franc. First issued in 1831.

Centime - Currency of France, 1 franc = 100 centimes, also currency of Haiti, Luxembourg and South-Vietnam.

Centimo - currency in many Spanish spoken countries like Spain, Costa Rica, Paraguay, Venezuela and the Philippines.

Ceres - roman goddess of agriculture, often shown on antique coins as a woman in long dress, her attributes are corn leaves and a flame or torch. In Greece also known as Demeter.

Chaise d'or - golden French coin issued in 1303 under Philips IV (1285-1314) on the front side the king is sitting on a gothic throne, on the reverse a cross.

Christian d'or - Danish golden coin with a weight of 6,032 grams fine gold. First issued bij Christiaan VII (1766-1808).

Cristogram or Cristomonogram - from the Greek letters made X = Chi and P = Rho. The second part is formed by the first and last letter of the Greek alphabet, alpha and omega.

Chronogram - a text on coins, tokens and buildings that "hides" the date in it, in the way of roman numbers, all together a date.

Churchill Crown - The first coin in the United Kingdom who shows a portrait, of a civilian.

Cisaliën - the remaining metal that comes from coins after poring. Also the name for the plates that be left after the coin blanks are cut out.

Cistofoor - Greek coin from little-Asia from the 2nd century BC, first only minted in Pergamon, later also in other city's.

Clemmergulder - gold gulden from the duke ship of Gelre (Netherlands) minted during the government of Karel van Egmond (14922-1543) and minted in the mint houses of Nijmegen and Roermond.

Cob - Primitive coins minted in Mexico and America, who where shipped to Spain after minting. Those coins where made because the Spanish Law did not allow that unminted gold or silver was imported to Spain. The coins where rough struck, but the weight was correct.

Colon - Comes from Columbus, currency of Costa Rica. 1 colon = 100 centimos.
Also used in El Salvador.

Communie tokens - from origin from Scotland in the 16th century, for the holy community. It is known that they where used a lot in Presbyterian Churches.

Condor - golden coin from Chile with the value of 10 golden pesos, issued in 1926 with pieces of 2,5 and 10 condores, 1 condor was 2.034 grams and 900/1000 fine gold, the last emission was in 1963.

Consecration mint - Consecration coin - A coin minted to remember the past emperor in roman times, next to the living emperor, the deceased emperor is shown. With the word DIVUS (taken with the gods).

Consulair coins - roman coins from the republic 335-27 BC, in first it was believed that they where minted with permission of the consuls, later numismatics mean that those coins where minted next to the "family" coins.

Contador - Spanish name for counting tokens (Rechenpfennige)

Conto de reis - same as 1000 mil reis.

Contorniaat - pored roman token that is issued in the 4th and 5th century and recognizable on the rim, where you can see the mould traces, not much is known for those tokens, it is believed that they where used as playing money, or entrance pieces for the amphibian theatres.

Cordóbo - currency of Nicaragua, divided in 100 centavos, first issued in 1912.

COS - shortcut often found on roman coins, it means consul, the consul was the highest civil and military magistrate during the roman republic, the word COS after numbers often indicates the period of the consulate.

Courte - korte - coin with the falue of 2 mijten, issued in Vlaanderen (Belgium) in the 14th century from on the 15th and 16th century also in bourgondian territories.
First made in silver with low grade, after 1543 from copper, it got its name after the short (Courte/korte) cross shown on it.

Creneleren - giving a coin the readings.

Crookston dollar - peoples name for the Ryal, minted under Mary of Scotland during her marriage with Henry Darnley. On the coins is the text DAT GLORIA VIRES, meaning honour gives strength.

Crown - a golden English coin with the value of 5 shilling, minted under Hendrik VIII struck till 1662. In later times also struck in England as remembrance coin.

Crusado - Portuguese golden coin first issued by Alphonso V (1432-1481). In origin the coin was 4 grams of 950/1000 gold, under Emanuel I the Crusado spread over all of Europe. Sinds 1578 the 5oo Reis piece got the name Crusado, as a counting mint it was used into the 19th century.

Cruzeiro - currency of Brazil.

CU - chemical symbol stands for copper. It comes from the Latin Cuprum.

Cybele - Frygisch goddess, also known as the great mother (Magna Mater), united with Rhea, the mother of Zeus, very loved on Crete, where she has given birth to Zeus. On Greek and roman coins shown flanked with lions. The text on the coins MATER DEUM or MATRI MAGNAE.