Argenteus 上市 Deposited
The monetary silver unit of Abyssinia. It is of Dollar or Crown size, contains three hundred sixty and sev- enty-six one hundredths grains of pure silver, and is divided into halves, quarters, tenths, and twentieths. The latter, the smallest silver coin of this country, is known as the Guerche, Gersh, or Piastre.
The Talari issued under King Menelik was sometimes referred to as a Menelik, and, by an arbitrary decree, he attempted to introduce divisions of quarters, eighths, and sixteenths, instead of the prevailing decimal system.
The half Talari of Menelik's series is called the Agod, the one quarter the Yaber Rub, and the one eighth received the name of Tenan. The Talari obtains its name from the Thaler of Maria Theresa, and in the Amharic language it is known as Ber (q.v.). It is also referred to as the Argenteus.
- Frey's Dictionary (American Journal of Numismatics, Vol. 50, 1916)