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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;chrisild, post: 1737645, member: 39&quot;]The $ was originally the symbol of the Spanish/Latin American peso, in the late 18c. You can still find it on Mexican coins for example. In Portugal that sign (called cifrão) was always written with two vertical lines and used like a decimal separator: &quot;2$50&quot; as on your coin, not &quot;$2.50&quot;. (On today&#039;s collector coins they use &quot;2,5&quot; or &quot;2,50&quot;.)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Not obscured <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie1" alt=":)" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" /> - that thing is an <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armillary_sphere" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armillary_sphere" rel="nofollow">armillary sphere</a>, referring to Portugal&#039;s seafaring tradition. You can find the whole thing, sphere and shields, on many coins but also on the Portuguese flag ...</p><p><br /></p><p>Christian[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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