A currency sign is a graphic symbol used as a shorthand for a currency's name, especially in reference to amounts of money. They typically employ the first letter or character of the currency, sometimes with minor changes such as ligatures or overlaid vertical or horizontal bars. Today, ISO 4217 codes are used instead of currency signs for most official purposes, though currency signs may be in common use in many other contexts. Few currencies in the world have no short-hand symbol at all.
Although many former currency signs were rendered obsolete by the adoption of the euro, having a new and unique currency sign — implementation of which requires the adoption of new unicode and type formats — has now become a status symbol for international currencies. The European Commission considers part of the success of the euro was the global recognition of the euro sign €. In 2009, India launched a public competition to replace the ₨ ligature it shared with neighboring countries. It finalized its new currency symbol, ₹ on 15 July 2010. It is a blend of the Latin letter 'R' with the Devanagari letter "र".
Read more about Currency Sign: Usage, Design, List of Presently-circulating Currency Signs, List of Historic Currency Signs
Famous quotes containing the words currency and/or sign:
“It is the international system of currency which determines the totality of life on this planet. That is the natural order of things today. That is the atomic, and sub-atomic, and galactic
structure of things today. And you have meddled with the primal forces of nature! And you will atone! Am I getting through to you, Mr. Beale?”
—Paddy Chayefsky (1923–1981)
“The man of genius, like a dog with a bone, or the slave who has swallowed a diamond, or a patient with the gravel, sits afar and retired, off the road, hangs out no sign of refreshment for man and beast, but says, by all possible hints and signs, I wish to be alone,—good-by,—fare-well. But the Landlord can afford to live without privacy.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)