Roman Numerals and Coins: First off, I assure you I know that you know all about Roman numerals, but, bear with me a few more lines and I may reveal two or three things about Coins and Roman Numerals you may not know. We know: I = 1 : III = 3 IV = 4 : V= 5 : VI = 6 IX = 9 : X = 10 : XI = II : XXX = 30 XL = 40 : L = 50 : LX = 60 : XLI = 41 : IXL = 49 : LXI = 51: LXXX = 80 XC = 90 : C = 100 : CX = 110 : CL = 150 : CLX = 160 : CCC = 300 CD = 400 : D = 500 : DC = 600 : DCLX = 660 CM = 900 : M = 1000 : CMX = 910 : CML = 950 : MC = 1100 MCCC = 1300 : MD = 1500 : MDCLVIII = 1658 : MMM = 3000 Here's the number of the beast (biblically) (666). Just print all the letters in descending order except "M." DCLXVI. Simple to remember, right? and finally MMIX = 2009 making my birthyear 1935 = MCMXXXV. What's your Roman Numeral birthyear? What about numbers 4000 and higher? For large numbers (4000 and above), a bar can be placed above a base numeral to indicate multiplication by 1000, although the Romans themselves often just wrote out the "M"s: _ V for 5000 _ X for 1000 _ L for 50000 _ C for 100000 _ D for 500000 _ M for 1000000 The following info pertains to Roman Numerals on coins. Roman Numerals on coins following names of monarchs and Popes, such as Charles III, Elizabeth II, Pius IX, Benedict XVI are ordinal numbers and pronunced "third," "second," "ninth" and "sixteenth." Useage as XX Olympiad is twentieth, but Olympics XX is twenty. Another ordinal useage pertains to books of the Bible: I Kings, II Corinthians, etc. But, guess what, there are some anomalies on the Spanish coins of Charles IIII. That's right, Charles preferred IIII over IV. Louis XIV started this by decreeing clock faces made during his reign have opposite facing unorthodox Roman Numnerals to bring about a balanced-looking clock face. The IIII has been used on clocks since then. IIII Spanish America: http://www.coinarchives.com/w/lotviewer.php?LotID=596554&AucID=433&Lot=23489 Seville, Spain: http://www.coinarchives.com/w/lotviewer.php?LotID=552319&AucID=397&Lot=1324 A weird numismatic occurance took place on Spanish American coins reading Charles IV. The bust on the coins is not of Charles IV, but of Charles III. Take a look: http://www.coinarchives.com/w/lotviewer.php?LotID=600761&AucID=437&Lot=673 Thought you'd like to know... Clinker
The reason the wrong bust was used because it took so long to make new dies and get from Spain to the New World. The old King died and the new King ascended the throne. The colonies knew this much. But the dies for the coins they issued always had to come from Spain. And because of transit delays in the shipping of the new coin dies with the new King's bust on them, they went ahead, changed the number from III to IV, and minted the coins with the old King's bust on them. They switched when the new dies finally arrived from Spain.
Thanks for this post! I can read Roman numerals but I didn't know what you would do past 4000. Never even thought about it. That's neat.
To vess1: A lot if the article was nrws to me too...AND I thank you for your positive comment:high5: Clinker
