Mark

Mark, the standard weight of the money system in various countries of Europe, especially in Germany, where in the middle of the 11th century the Cologne mark = half a Cologne pound, or 233.812 grammes, was adopted as the standard, and as such continued in use till 1857. The mark gradually acquired a monetary value as well; as such it has been since 1875 the standard of currency in the German empire, being equivalent to $\backslash frac\{1\}\{100\}$ of a pound (500 grammes) of fine gold, and equal to 11$\backslash frac\{1\}\{2\}$d. English and 24 cents United States currency. But there are only 5, 10, and 20 mark pieces in gold. The silver mark (= $\backslash frac\{1\}\{4\}$ thaler) is divided into 100 pfennigs. The Lübeck mark or mark current, a coin formerly in use at Hamburg, was worth 1s. 2d.; the mark banco there, a money of account, was worth 1s. 6d. In England marks are first heard of in the treaty between Alfred and Guthrum the Dane, and are supposed to have been then a Danish reckoning. But these marks were not coins, only money of account, or rather a weight. In 1194 the coined mark had the nominal value it ever after retained, 160 pennies or 13s. 4d., two-thirds of the nominal 'pound.' The gold noble, first struck by Edward III., was worth half a mark—6s. 8d. As late as 1703 Defoe was fined 200 marks. In Scotland the mark or merk was a weight for gold and silver, or common money reckoning, and also a coin. The coin, like the other Scotch coins, had only one-twelfth of the English value: nominally 13s. 4d., it was worth 1s. 1$\backslash frac\{1\}\{2\}$d. English. There were two-merk, one-merk (4$\backslash frac\{1\}\{2\}$ to the oz.), half, and quarter merk pieces. The French standard weight mark weighed 244.75 grammes and the Dutch mark 246.08 grammes.