The signs indicated on the currency of any country symbolize financial independence and prosperity. Some designations have a centuries-old history. The American dollar can be considered a relatively young sign.
Dollar: a controversial sign
The traditional dollar sign is the Latin letter S, crossed out vertically in the middle by two parallel lines. The time of the appearance of this symbol to denote the American currency has not been established for certain. Some researchers suggest that the sign appeared not earlier than the 18th century. Others make an amendment: the symbol itself has existed for more than 500 years, but it began to be depicted on the currency a little over two centuries ago.
When interpreting and questioning the origin of the dollar sign, it must be remembered that the letter S can be crossed out with either two or one lines. In total, there are about 14 variants of writing the symbol, known since 1776. Moreover, only three of them use two vertical bars.
Version one: the Spanish spirit
Several centuries ago, Spain was a colonizing country. The region's currency, the peso, was the most common in the world. The coins of that time were marked in the form of the Latin letter P. Before sending money to America, the Spaniards added the letter S to the upper right corner, denoting the plural. Over time, P has been reduced to a dash.
Another "Spanish" variant assumes that the colonialists exported gold for the minting of currency from America itself. At the same time, they necessarily marked it, putting the letter S, which stands for “Spain” - Spain. When accepting gold (for its control), the Latin sign was crossed out with one line. When it came time to send the money back to the colony, a second stick was applied.
The third "Spanish" version is the least recognized by researchers, but is actively supported by the US Bureau of Engraving and Printing. On it, the dollar sign means a modified coat of arms of the royal family of Spain. It represents two Pillars of Hercules, between which a ribbon with a saying in Latin is waved. This symbol denoted the maritime power and power of Spain.
Version two: English influence
The British could not stand aside and take part in the creation of history. According to their version, the dollar sign denotes the new spelling of their native shilling. In the UK, it is believed that Americans simply took the first letter from the English "shilling" and supplemented it with two sticks - the letter combination "ll".
This version of the British, most likely, was prompted by the tradition adopted from them by the Americans to designate the amount presented for payment. The dollar sign is always placed in front of numbers (for example, $ 10). This is how the pound icon has been placed for many centuries.
Version three: American
However, Americans also have their own version of the origin and meaning of the dollar sign. It was her that A. Greensen, the head of the US Federal Reserve System, actively supported. According to the American version, the dollar sign is tantamount to the concept of "free mind".
This assumption was expressed by Ayn Rand, a famous American writer. Her novel Atlas Shrugs describes the origin of the "sign of the free mind": it is simply a monogram of two letters U and S ("United States").
Version four: mystical powers
While interpreting the meaning of the dollar sign, one should not forget about its "mystical" glory. It is believed that both coins and banknotes of the American bank are literally "stuffed" with symbols of one of the most powerful secret orders of all time - the Masonic. According to some versions, this society flourished just at the time of the formation of American banknotes.
According to this theory, the dollar sign stands for "the temple of King Solomon." The letter S is capitalized in the name in Latin spelling, vertical dashes are a schematic representation of the walls. This version is actively cultivated by researchers of secret societies and symbolist scientists.
