Re: CHAT: Hawaiian Money (was Re: NATLANG/FONT: the euro & 01.01.02)

Am 14.12.01, Nik Taylor yscrifef:

> J Y S Czhang wrote:
> > What a way to start the 21st Century! I think it's neat-0... I would love to
> > get some "samples" of the Euro - unlike other more mainstream numismatic
> > fans, I actually like "appropriating" a-lil-used coinage & paper-currencies.
>
> Speaking of money, does anyone know anything about the monetary system
> used in the old Kingdom of Hawaii?
Same as ours, made (by the US Mint) to the same specs. In lower
conditions, they are quite reasonable. Note that the only pennies
minted were in 1847, so they are the same large size our pennies
were. In 1883, dimes, bits (12.5c), quarters, halves and dollars
were minted. The 12.5c piece is extremely rare and expensive.

There were also notes printed, but I really don't know anything
about them.

> The reason I ask is that my confuture includes a Republic of Hawaii, and
> I was thinking that they might harken back to their earlier national
> days by naming the new currency after the old one.  :-)
Ah, I see. Well, "Hapa haneri" is apparently "one cent". "Dala" is
"dollar", if I recall right. The half dollar says "hapalua".

The regnal inscription is in English; there is an inscription on
the back in Hawaiian: "ua mau ke ea o ka aina i ka pono" (not sure
about the word breaks, though!) They circulated into the 1930s.

> I've already
> decided that the one-whatever bill will be nicknamed a "Lili" after
> Liliuokalani, whose face is on said bill, so perhaps "Lili" would come
> to be the colloquial term for the unit itself, like "buck" in American
> English.  :-)
So, while we have "dead presidents", they've have "dead monarchs"!

Padraic.
--
Bethes gwaz vaz ha leal.

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