This is an ongoing work (one of those never-ending projects) consisting of a compilation of all known names used for coins from the ancient times to the present. Where possible, a description of coins of that name is given, as well as the most likely origin of the name, including translations. In many cases, links are made to pages which will show various examples of that denomination. Obviously, the images not all-inclusive but hopefully will give the user an idea of what some of the coin denominations looked like and how coins of the same name differ from country to country and through time.

Habibi - [Afghanistan]

Haelbling - A name given to the medieval German half pfennig or obol.

{From German halb half + ling ling; a halfling.}

[German States]

Halala - Plural halala, halalas.  A bronze coin and monetary unit of Sauidi Arabia, equal to the 100th part of a riyal.

{From Arabic halalah that which is lawful.}

[Saudi Arabia, Yemen]

Halalah - Plural halalah, halalahs.  Variant name of the halala.

Halbag - A fictitious monetary unit on early 19th century Frankfurt "Jew" pfennigs.

{From German halb half + ag ??}

[German States-Frankfurt]

Halbrakteat - The half bracteate or duennpfennig.  It was a very thin, 2-sided denar of Swabia and the Upper Rhine struck during the 12th and 13th centuries.  Because this coin was so thin, the design on one side tended to obliterate that on the other.  For all practical purposes, this made these coins uniface, hence they are often thought to have furnished the idea or model for true bracteates.

{From German halb half +brakteat brakteat.}

[German States]

Halbschoter - Variant form of halbskoter.

Halbskoter - A coin of the Teutonic Order struck from 1351 to 1382.  It weighed 3 grams of 0.624 fine silver and was worth 16 pfennigs.

{From German halb half + skot scot + er [a coin] of.  See scot.}

[Teutonic Order]

Haler - A Czechoslovakian coin worth 1/100 koruna.  It is also the name of an old small silver coin issued in Germany in the 13th century.  This latter coin was later debased to billion and finally to copper as it spread to Austria and Switzerland.  In Austria, it was called a heller, and was worth 1/100 krone from 1892 to 1916.

{From Czechoslovakian halé_ from Middle High German hallaere, haller, heller heller.}

[Czechoslovakia]

Halere - [Czechoslovakia]

Halers - Plural of haler.

Haleru - Plural of haler.

Halierov - [Slovakia (Czechoslovakia)]

Haller - Obsolete.  Variant form of Heller.

[Switzerland-Cantons]

Hao - An aluminum coin and monetary unit of Vietnam, the tenth part of a dong.

{From Vietnamese hào dime or 1/10th part [of a dong] môt dõng ba hào one piaster and 30 cents}

[China, Vietnam-North]

Hapalua -

{From Hawaiian hapa half + lua ???}

[Hawaii]

Hapenny - Plural hapennies.  The British halfpenny.

[Great Britain]

Hard Head - A small coin, made of copper or some metal alloy, of Mary and James VI, originally valued at 3 halfpence.  [1786 A De Cardoanel Numism Scotiae: of this king [James VI] there are only two [coins]  No 1 was called the hard head, the revers has two points behind the lion, to denote its value of two pennies.  1876 R Cochrane-Patrick Regional Coinage Scot: In 1554 the Privy Council authorised a new base coinage to be called "Lions," now commongly called "Hardheads."]

{Scottish National Dictionary:  From old Scottish hard-heid 1559-1592  hard-head 1558-1574  harddittis 1579.  Apparently a corruption of French hardi(t), the name of a coin of small value, said to be from Hardi, the surname of Philip III, under whom the coin was first issued.}

[Scotland]

Hardi - A gold coin of Aquitaine, struck under Edward, the Black Prince (1353-1375) and continuing until Charles (1468-1474).  The obverse has a crowned bust facing, and the reverse has a cross.

Harpe d'or - A gold coin of Utrecht in the Netherlands, struck under David (1455-1496).  The obverse show King David behind a shield, and the reverse has an ornate floriated cross.

Harz-gold Ducat - A gold ducat of Brunswick and Hanover, first struck under George I (1698-1727) of England until Ernest August (1837-1851).

[German States]

Harz-gold Taler - A gold taler of Brunswick and Hanover, first struck under George IV (1820-1830) of England until Ernest August (1837-1851).

[German States]

Hat Piece - A gold coin of Scotland, struck under James VI (1567-1625) showing, on the obverse,  James wearing a high hat and, on the reverse, a seated lion.

{Named for the hat James is wearing.}

[Scotland]

Hau

Hayriye Altin - A gold coin issued in 1830 and 1831 on the occasion of the anniversaries of Sultan Mehet II's accession to the throne.

{From Turkish hayri good + altin gold; of good gold}

[Iraq, Turkey]

Heaume - Gold coin issued by Louis II de Male, Count of Flanders.  The coin portrayed the helmeted Lion of Flanders and was often called a lion heaume.

{From French heaume helm(et)}

Heavy Mohur - [India-Mughal]

Heller - Also haller.  A small coin formerly current in Germany, worth half a pfennig; also a coin equal to one hundredth of a korona or crown (one tenth of a penny) in the Austrian monetary system.

{German heller, in Middle High German häller, haller, usually assumed to be named from the imperial city Schwäbisch-Hall, where it was first coined.}

[Austria, German East Africa (Tanzania)]

Helm - A name given to an English gold coin equal to ¼ florin or 1½ shillings.

{Named for a helmet on the obverse.}

[England]

Hemidrachm - An ancient Greek coin equal to half a drachm.

{From Greek hemi half + drachm drachm.}

[Ancient Greece]

Hemiobol - An ancient Greek coin equal to half an obol.

{From Greek hemi half + obol obol.}

[Ancient Greece]

Henri d'or - A gold coin of France, struck under Henry II (1547-1559).  The obverse has the bust of the king.  It was also struck, in the same style, under Francis II (1559-1560) and Charles IX (1560-1574).

{From French Henri Henry + d'or of gold.}

[France]

Hexagram - Silver coin issued by the Byzantine emperor Heraclius in 615 having a weight of six grammata, or 6.82 grams.  It was struck in large quantities between 615 and 680; afterwards, its commercial importance declined, and coins of this weight were issued only for ceremonial purposes.

{From Greek hexa six + gram grams; it's weight was six grams.}

[Byzantine Empire]

Hexas -

Histamena - A prefix given to gold Byzantine coins (as in histamena nomisma) to indicate they were of a standard or fixed weight.  See stamena.

[Byzantine Empire]

Hohlpfennig - The one-sided pfennig of the middle ages.  Synonymous with schuesselpfennig  ("dish pfennig").  It is the proper name for uniface base silver pfennigs struck with a convex die between 1368 and the end of the 16th century.  The term hohlpfennig is often loosely applied, however, to many earlier and later uniface pieces which, though not strictly flat, do not deserve the name.

{From German hohl hollow or concave + pfennig pfennig.}

[German States]

Hsien - [China]

Hvid - A 4-penninge piece struck in the cities of Flensburg and Ribe for the Baltic trade.  It was copied after the German witten.  Royal issues soon followed under Erik of Pomerania (1397-1439)

[Denmark]

Hwan - A former monetary unit of South Korea.  It was established in 1953 and was replaced by the won in 1962.

{From Korean, the reading of a character used as a graphic synonym of won (Middle Chinese equivalent to Chinese yuan yuan.}

[Korea-South]

Hyperpyron - A suffix given to gold Byzantine coins (as in nomisma hyperpyron) issued by Alexis I in an effort to combat debasement.

{From Greek hyper super + pyron fired; superfired.}

[Byzantine Empire]