Numismatic definitions
Like most fields of expertise, numismatics has its own lingo. Find the numismatic definition of a term by entering it in the field below.
Decimalisation
A currency system in which the principal unit is subdivided into ten, a hundred, or a thousand fractions. Russia was the first country to decimalise, in 1534 when the rouble of 100 kopeks was introduced, but it was not until 1792 that France adopted the franc of 100 centimes and 1793 when the USA introduced the dollar of 100 cents. Most European countries decimalised their currency in the nineteenth century. Britain toyed with the idea, introducing the florin or tenth of a pound in 1849 as the first step, but did not complete the process until 1971. The last countries to decimalise were Malta and Nigeria, in 1972 and 1973 respectively.
