Travels in India (Tavernier) 6.2.1

6.2.1

If you take coined gold, the best pieces are rose nobles, old Jacobuses, Albertuses, and other ancient pieces, both of Portugal and other countries, and all sorts of gold coins which have been coined in the last century. On all these old pieces there is always some profit for the merchant. Among the good gold coins which one may carry to India all the ducats of Germany, both those of princes and those of imperial towns, as also the ducats of Poland, Hungary, Sweden, and Denmark must be included; and all these kinds of ducats are taken at the same standard. The golden ducats of Venice formerly passed as the best, and were each valued at four or five of our sols more than all the others ; but, since twelve years or thereabouts, it seems that they altered them, so that they are not valued now save at the same price as the others. There are still the ducats which the Grand Seigneur coins at Cairo, and those of Salee and Morocco, but these three coins are the least valuable of all, and are generally worth four sols less than the others.