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Originally Posted by Rick
I have wondered how the Innkeepers of our coastal taverns figured sums with so many different coins from all over the world passing through their cashbox.
Who set the value of silver and gold coinage back in those days. Figuring exchange rates must have been, interesting.
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I think thats a very good question!!
From most of what I have understood there was a certain common parlance concerning most currencies which were prevalent, and the 'thaler' was considered viable as well as the Spanish coins (pieces of 8). Aside from that, mostly the 'currency of the realm' prevailed, and the American colonies were of course British, so British currency was standard.
With these 'exotic' coins, unless they were of precious metal, they might only have been taken as a novelty sort of in a trade sense. Trade and barter were typically used means of currency as well.