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Currency Symbols




A currency sign is a graphic symbol often used as a shorthand for a Currency 's name. Internationally, ISO 4217 codes are used instead of currency signs, though currency signs may be in common use in their respective countries. Most currencies in the world have no specific symbol.

When writing currency amounts the location of the sign varies by currency. Many currencies, especially in the English-speaking world, locate it before the amount (e.g., ''£50.00''); some after the amount (e.g., ''50.00 S₣''); and before they were abolished, the sign for the Portuguese Escudo and the French Franc were placed in the decimal position (i.e., ''50$00'' or ''12₣34''). The standardized European default placement, used in absence of a national standard, is that (€) is placed before the amount. Practically all countries which had their former currency sign placed after the amount continue to use the old position with the new currency.


EXAMPLES



FORMERLY USED CURRENCY SIGNS

  • ECU sign (not widely used, and now historical; replaced by the Euro )

  • Cruzeiro sign (formerly used in Brazil )

  • Drachma sign (formerly used in Greece )

  • Franc sign (formerly used in France . Most people preferred to write "FF" instead)

  • ''ƒ'' Guilder former sign of the Dutch Guilder. The f comes from the former ''florin''

  • Lira sign (formerly used in Italy , San Marino and Vatican City , and currently sometimes in Malta , also handwritten for GBP)

  • Peseta sign (formerly used in Spain and Andorra . Most people preferred to write "pts" instead .)

  • ₰ pre-1945 German Reichsmark penny ('' Pfennig '') sign