[Jewelry making - Article 00000] - Re: [Orchid] DWT not PWT

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From: Ray <Ray AT CustomMadeSilver.com>

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pennyweight 

From: Don Iorns <xtr857115 AT xtra.co.nz> 

    I am willing to stand corrected by those morehistorical but my
    understanding is the D symbol is the abbreviation for penny in the
    pre decimal pound/ shilling/ pence currency of england. In turn, the
    penny or D is an alliteration of denarii, the smallest denomination
    of roman coinage in wide use in england post the roman occupation
    circa 120 AD. 

    kind regards 
    Don Iorns 

From: "Chris" <c.smythe AT inspire.net.nz>

    The English language is full of Latinisms and this I think is
    another one. Denarius = penny. 

From: "The Doctor" <docktor AT bellsouth.net>

    Quote from Wikipedia: 

    While "dwt" is the most common abbreviation for pennyweight (as "d"
    was the abbreviation for "penny" in the pre-decimalisation British
    system), some sources list "pwt" as an alternative. 

    I've wondered for decades why a "10 penny" nail was always listed as
    a "10d." Now I know that, too. 

From: Roger Bowersox <metalqwerkx AT yahoo.com>

    The d in dwt, pennyweight abbreviation, comes from a Roman coin
    called a Denarius. 

    http://www.24carat.co.uk/pennystoryframe.html 
    http://www.treasurerealm.com/coinpapers/books/Till-1837/denarius.html

From: "SadiesJewels" <sadiesjewels AT comcast.net>

    Yes I do! 

    a "d" was the symbol or letter for the old penny we had in the UK.
    Pounds and punce as in thrupunce (for 3 pence). A penny was 240ths of
    a pound. 

    As to why it was a d perhaps someone else has the answer to that? 

    Sadie 

From: Gary Bourbonais <gwb AT execpc.com>

    Yeah...... 

    GOOD question.... 

    Also nails....16 penny (16D), etc.... Any relationship there....? 

From: "John Bozeman" <jbozeman AT hotmail.com>

    The old abbreviation for the penny, d, was derived from the Roman
    denarius. The English penny was derived from a silver coin (the
    sceat of 20 grains weight) which was in general circulation in
    Europe during the Middle Ages. The weight of this coin was
    originally 20 grains but had reached 24 grains by the time of King
    Alfred (A.D. 871-899) or 1/240 of a troy pound, a weight known as a
    pennyweight (around 1.555 grams). 

    John 
    It's In The Works Studio
    http://itsintheworks.etsy.com

From: "Justine Wetherington" <justine00 AT bellsouth.net>

    d is from denarius small Roman coin
    Justine

From: Designs of Eagle Creek <eaglecreek AT floresville.net>

    Just had to get me to do a web search, didn't you? According to
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denarius 

    Even after the denarius was no longer regularly issued, it continued
    to be used as an accounting device and the name was applied to later
    Roman coins in a way that is not understood. The lasting legacy of
    the denarius can be seen in the use of "d" as the abbreviation for
    the old French denier and the British penny prior to 1971. The
    denarius also survives in the common Arabic name for a currency unit,
    the dinar used from pre-Islamic times, and still used in several
    modern Arabic-speaking nations. The Italian word denaro, Spanish word
    dinero, and the Portuguese word dinheiro, all meaning money, are also
    derived from Latin "denarius." 

    BTW, pwt is an accepted alternate abbreviation. 

    Also, nails (the kind you drive with a hammer) are sized by pennies
    and the "d" is also used for them, eg. 10d, 12d. A long time ago,
    this was the cost of buying 100 of these nails. You could buy 100 10d
    nails for ten pennies, or 100 12d nails for 12 pennies. The larger
    the nail, naturally, the more you had to pay for 100. 

    Dr. H. D. (Del) Pearson


 
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