Not so unlike currency today! Thanks, Marie. Susan Message: 1 Date: Tue, 11 Oct 2011 19:24:30 -0400 From: "Marie Rasnick Fetzer" <[email protected]> Subject: [AMREV-HESSIANS] Spanish Dollar To: <[email protected]> Hello Susan, Just a comment re: your earlier post about the Spanish Dollar. I don't know much about it, but it's my understanding that there were many different types of currencies circulating about during Colonial times. Of course there was the British denominations of pounds, shillings and pence. And the Thirteen Colonies also circulated their own versions, however their value varied from colony to colony, and their pounds were always worth less than the British version. There were also many other foreign currencies circulating about, most notably the Spanish Dollar. The Continental Congress issued paper money to pay for military expenses, but unfortunately both state and Continental currency depreciated rapidly. So it's my thought that maybe the price required to pay for a Hessian soldier's freedom was specified as eighty Spanish Dollars was because the Spanish Dollar was a more stable currency and had a very specific value assessed to it, as opposed to the differing values of the pounds of the various Colonies. I guess the Continental Congress had more faith in the value of the Spanish Dollar than their own money they were printing! Anyway, there's more information if you Google a search for Money in the American Colonies. Marie Rasnick Fetzer