Gun (coin)

A pistol was originally a Spanish coin made of American gold that was minted as a double gold crown since 1566. It showed the Spanish coat of arms and the columns of Heracles . From 1640 France and Genoa also introduced the pistol.

In Germany in the 18th and early 19th centuries, gold coins worth five thalers, such as the Friedrich d'or, were called pistols.

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Wiktionary: pistol  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations