Spanish peseta
Peseta española (Spanish)
100 pesetas 200 pesetas - Madrid European Capital of Culture - 1992
ISO 4217 code	ESP
Central bank	Bank of Spain
Website	www.bde.es
User(s)	Spain Spanish Guinea (1926–1968)  Western Sahara (1884–1975)  Andorra
Inflation	1.4%
Source	Cámara Gipuzcoa, 1998
ERM
Since	19 June 1989
Fixed rate since	31 December 1998
Replaced by €, non cash	1 January 1999
Replaced by €, cash	1 January 2002
€ =	166.386 ₧
Pegged by	ADP, GQP, EHP
Subunit
1/100	céntimo because of inflation, céntimos were retired from circulation in 1983.
Symbol	₧ (rare, see article)
Nickname	pela (1 ₧), duro (5 ₧), talego (1,000 ₧), kilo (1,000,000 ₧)
Coins
Freq. used	5, 25, 50, 100, 500 ₧
Rarely used	1, 10, 200 ₧
Banknotes
Freq. used	1,000, 2,000, 5,000 ₧
Rarely used	10,000 ₧
Printer	Fábrica Nacional de Moneda y Timbre
Website	www.fnmt.es
Mint	Fábrica Nacional de Moneda y Timbre
Website	www.fnmt.es
This infobox shows the latest status before this currency was rendered obsolete.

The peseta (/pəˈseɪtə/; Spanish: [peˈseta]; Galician: [peˈseta]; Catalan: pesseta, IPA: [pəˈsɛtə] or [peˈseta]; Basque: pezeta, IPA: [pes̻eta]) was the currency of Spain between 1869 and 2002. Along with the French franc, it was also a de facto currency used in Andorra (which had no national currency with legal tender).

Etymology[link]

The name of the currency comes from pesseta, the diminutive form of the word peça, which is a Catalan word that means piece or fraction. The first non-official coins which contained the word "peseta" were made in 1808 in Barcelona.

Symbol[link]

Traditionally, there was never a single symbol nor special character for the Spanish peseta. Common abbreviations were "Pt", "Pta", "Pts" and "Ptas", and even using superior letters: "P^tas".

Common earlier Spanish models of mechanical typewriters had the expression "Pts" on a single type head (₧), as a shorthand intended to fill a single type space (₧) in tables instead of three (Pts).

Later, Spanish models of IBM electric typewriters also included the same type in its repertoire.

When the first IBM PC was designed circa 1980, it included a "peseta symbol" ₧ in the ROM of the Monochrome Display Adapter (MDA) and Color Graphics Adapter (CGA) video output cards' hardware, with the code number 158. This original character set chart later became the MS-DOS code page 437.

Some spreadsheet software for PC under MS-DOS, as Lotus 1-2-3, employed this character as the peseta symbol in their Spanish editions.

Subsequent international MS-DOS code pages, like code page 850 and others, deprecated this character in favour of some other national characters, so the "peseta symbol" life was brief.

In order to guarantee the interchange with previous encodings (namely, the code page 437 in this case), the international standard Unicode includes this character as U+20A7 PESETA SIGN in its Currency Symbols block. Other than that, the use of the "peseta symbol" standalone is extremely rare, and has been outdated since the adoption of the euro in Spain.

Subdivision[link]

The peseta was subdivided into 100 céntimos or, informally, 4 reales. The last coin of any value under one peseta was a 50 centimo coin in 1980, made to celebrate that Spain would host the 1982 FIFA World Cup. ^[1] The last 25 centimo coin (or real) was minted by the Second Spanish Republic in 1938.^[2] The 1 centimo coin was last minted in 1913 and featured King Alfonso XIII.^[3] The half-centimo was last minted in 1868 and featured Queen Isabel II.^[4]

History[link]

The peseta was introduced in 1869 after Spain joined the Latin Monetary Union in 1868. The Spanish Law of June 26, 1864 decreed that in preparation for joining the Latin Monetary Union (set up in 1865), the peseta became a subdivision of the peso with 1 peso duro = 5 pesetas. The peseta replaced the escudo at a rate of 5 pesetas = 1 peso duro = 2 escudos.

The peseta was equal to 4.5 grams of silver, or 0.290322 grams of gold, the standard used by all the currencies of the Latin Monetary Union. From 1873, only the gold standard applied.

The political turbulence of the early twentieth century (especially during the years after the World War I) caused the monetary union to break up, although it was not until 1927 that it officially ended.

In 1959, Spain became part of the Bretton Woods System, pegging the peseta at a value of 60 pesetas = 1 U.S. dollar. In 1967, the peseta followed the devaluation of the British pound, maintaining the exchange rate of 168 pesetas = 1 pound and establishing a new rate of 70 pesetas = 1 U.S. dollar.

The peseta was replaced by the euro in 2002, following the establishment of the euro in 1999. The exchange rate was 1 euro = 166.386 pesetas.

Coins[link]

Last editions of peseta coins (lacks 500 pts. coin) and 1 euro coin for size reference.

In 1869 and 1870, coins were introduced in denominations of 1, 2, 5, 10 & 50 céntimos, 1, 2 and 5 pesetas. The lowest 4 denominations were struck in copper (replaced by bronze from 1877), with the 50 céntimos, 1 & 2 pesetas struck in .835 silver & the 5 pesetas struck in .900 silver. Gold 25 pesetas coins were introduced in 1876, followed by 20 pesetas in 1878. In 1889, 20 pesetas coins were introduced, with production of the 25 pesetas ceasing. In 1897, a single issue of gold 100 pesetas was made. Production of gold coins ceased in 1904, followed by that of silver coins in 1910. The last bronze coins were issued in 1912.

Coin production resumed in 1925 with the introduction of cupro-nickel 25 céntimos. In 1926, a final issue of silver 50 céntimos was made, followed by the introduction of a holed version of the 25 céntimos in 1927.

In 1934, the Second Spanish Republic issued coins for 25 and 50 céntimos and 1 peseta. The 25 céntimos and silver 1 peseta were the same size and composition as the earlier Royal issues, whilst the 50 céntimos was struck in copper. In 1937, an iron 5 céntimos coins was introduced along with a brass 1 peseta. The last Republican issue was a holed, copper 25 céntimos in 1938.

During the Civil War, a number of local coinages were issued by both Republican and Nationalist forces. In 1936, the following pieces were issued by the Nationalists:

The following issues were made by Republican forces in 1937:

The Nationalists issued their first national coins in 1937. These were holed, cupro-nickel 25 céntimos minted in Vienna. Following the end of the Civil War, the Nationalist government introduced aluminium 5 and 10 céntimos in 1940, followed by aluminium-bronze 1 peseta coins in 1944.

In 1947, the first 1 peseta coins bearing the portrait of Francisco Franco were issued. Nickel 5 pesetas followed in 1949. In 1949, holed cupro-nickel 50 céntimos were introduced, followed by aluminium-bronze 2½ pesetas in 1954, cupro-nickel 25 & 50 pesetas in 1958 & smaller aluminium 10 céntimos in 1959. Silver 100 pesetas were issued between 1966 & 1969, with aluminium 50 céntimos introduced in 1967.

Following the accession of King Juan Carlos, the only change to the coinage was the introduction of cupronickel 100 pesetas in 1976. However, more significant changes occurred in 1982. The 50 céntimos was discontinued, with aluminium 1 & 2 pesetas as well as aluminium-bronze 100 pesetas introduced. Cupronickel 10 pesetas were introduced in 1983. Cupronickel 200 pesetas were introduced in 1986, followed by aluminium-bronze 500 pesetas in 1987. In 1989, the size of the 1 peseta coin was significantly reduced (making it the smallest, lightest coin in Europe and perhaps the world) and aluminium-bronze 5 pesetas were introduced. Aluminium-bronze 25 pesetas & smaller 50 pesetas were introduced in 1990, along with larger 200 pesetas.

Until 19 June 2001, the following coins were minted by the Spanish Fábrica Nacional de Moneda y Timbre:

The 50 pesetas coins issued between 1990 and 2000 were the first^{[citation needed]} that featured the Spanish flower shape.

Spanish flower

The dates of some Spanish coins can be found on small 6-point stars on either the obverse or reverse. The larger date that appears outside the stars is the design date.

Banknotes[link]

In 1874, the Banco de España introduced notes for 25, 50, 100, 500 and 1000 pesetas. Except for the 250 pesetas notes only issued in 1878, the denominations produced by the Banco de España did not change until the Civil War, when both the Republicans and Nationalists issued Banco de España notes.

In 1936, the Republicans issued 5 and 10 pesetas notes. The Ministry of Finance (Ministerio de Hacienda) introduced notes for 50 céntimos, 1 and 2 pesetas in 1938, as well as issuing stamp money (consisting of postage or revenue stamps affixed to cardboard disks) in denominations of 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 40, 45, 50 and 60 céntimos.

The first Nationalist Banco de España issues were made in 1936, in denominations of 5, 10, 25, 50, 100, 500 and 1000 pesetas. 1 and 2 pesetas notes were added in 1937. From the mid 1940s, denominations issued were 1, 5, 25, 50, 100, 500 and 1000 pesetas. The 1, 5, 25 and 50 pesetas were all replaced by coins by the late 1950s.

In 1978, 5000 pesetas notes were introduced. The 100 pesetas note was replaced by a coin in 1982, with 2000 pesetas notes introduced in 1983, 200 pesetas in 1984 and 10,000 pesetas in 1987. The 200 and 500 pesetas notes were replaced by coins in 1986 and 1987.

The penultimate series of banknotes was introduced between 1982 and 1987 and remained legal tender until the introduction of the euro.

The last banknotes series (1992) was:

Andorran peseta[link]

The Andorran peseta (ADP), in Catalan pesseta, was a 1:1 peg to the Spanish peseta. Following the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War on 17 July 1936, the Consell General de les Valls d’Andorra issued Decree No 112 of 19 December 1936, authorizing the issuance of paper money backed by Spanish banknotes.^[5]

Replacement by the euro[link]

The peseta was replaced by the euro (€) in 1999 on currency exchange boards. Euro coins and notes were introduced in January 2002, and on March 1, 2002, the peseta lost its legal tender status in Spain, and also in Andorra. The exchange rate was 1 euro = 166.386 ESP. Prices in many Andorran supermarkets and other retail establishments are still shown dual-priced in euros and pesetas or in euros and French francs.

Peseta notes and coins that were legal tender on December 31, 2001, remain exchangeable indefinitely at any branch of the central bank. According to this entity, approximately millions of pesetas (with a value estimated in 1.7 billion euros) were never converted to euro.^[6]

Huge amounts of pesetas of dubious provenance are believed to have helped to fuel a cash based money laundering real estate boom just prior to, and after, the conversion to the euro. Mafia and criminal holdings of pesetas in the billions were poured into massive real estate projects in Spain and elsewhere, the real estate could then be legally sold into euros.^{[citation needed]}

In 2011, more than 60 shops belonging to the small Galician fishing town of Mugardos reintroduced the peseta (accepting it alongside the euro), as a result of the economic crisis the country has been living for the past few years.^[6]

See also[link]

• Commemorative coins of Spain
• Spanish euro coins
• Latin Monetary Union (1865–1927)
• Latin Union (since 1954)
• European Union (since 1957)
• Euro (from 1999/2002)
• Economy of Spain

Notes[link]

1. ^ 1999 by law (on financial markets and business transactions only), two currency units used (the Spanish peseta still had legal tender on all banknotes, coins and personal bank accounts) until 2002.

References[link]

Bibliography[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Spanish currency

• Overview of the peseta from the BBC
• Banco de España: last peseta issues

v t e Currency signs (¤) Circulating ฿ B/. Br ₵ ¢ C$ ₡ ден. ₫ ֏ € ƒ Ft G ₲ ₴ Kč ₭ L L / E £ / ₤ лв. ₦ ₱ P Q R ﷼ ៛ RM Rp RSD/РСД ₹ ₨ S/. ৳ R$ $ ₪ ₸ ₮ VT ₩ ¥ zł Historic ₳ ₢ ₰ DM ₯ ₠ ₣ I/. Kčs Lm ℳ ₥ ₧ ℛℳ Sk ₷

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (January 2009)

Raffaella Carrà
Born	Raffaella Roberta Pelloni (1943-06-18) 18 June 1943 (age 69) Bologna, Italy
Other names	Raffaella Carrà, la Carrà
Occupation	Actress, singer
Years active	1952–present

Raffaella Carrà (born 18 June 1943, Bologna, Italy), in Italy often simply known as la Carrà (the Carrà) and in some Latin American countries sometimes simply as Raffaella, is an Italian singer, dancer, television presenter, and actress. She is a popular figure in Italy, Spain, Malta, Greece and Latin America and Russia, both as a result of her many well-known taped presentations and records, and because of her many popular TV shows.

Early life[link]

She was born Raffaella Roberta Pelloni, in Bologna.^[1] In her native town she had dance lessons.

Career[link]

Singing and dancing[link]

Since 1961, Carrà has sung and danced on the variety shows of Italian television. In particular, since the early 1970s, they have featured elaborate choreography, mesmerizing elaborate themes, and her uninhibited style. She was the first television figure to show her belly button on camera. This was met with heavy criticism from the Vatican.^{[citation needed]}

Carrà had a hit song with the sensual "Tuca Tuca" (1970), written for her singing and dancing television presentations by her long-time collaborator and former boyfriend, Gianni Boncompagni. Similarly, in 1971 Carrà achieved another hit with "Chissà se Va".

Her greatest international hit single was "Tanti Auguri" ("Best Wishes"), which has become a popular song amongst the gay community. The song is also known under its Spanish title "Para hacer bien el amor hay que venir al sur" (which refers to Southern Europe, since the hit was recorded and taped in Spain). The Estonian version of the song "Jätke võtmed väljapoole" was performed by Anne Veski. "A far l'amore comincia tu" ("To make love, your move first") was another success for her internationally, known in Spanish as "En el amor todo es empezar", in German as "Liebelei", in French as "Puisque tu l'aimes dis le lui", and in English as "Do It, Do It Again". It was her only entry to the UK Singles Chart, where she remains a one-hit wonder.^[2] In 1977, she recorded another hit single, "Fiesta" ('The Party' in English) originally in Spanish, but then recorded it in French and Italian after the song hit the charts.

In 1985, Carrà's Starlight Express video was released featuring characters, costumes and sets from the show. In 2008, "Do It, Do It Again" was featured briefly in the Midnight episode of the fourth series of Doctor Who. "A far l'amore comincia tu" has also been covered in Turkish by a Turkish popstar Ajda Pekkan as "Sakın Ha" in 1977.

Most recently, Carrà has gained new attention for her appearance as the female vocal soloist in the proto hip-hop gibberish song "Prisencolinensinainciusol" (1973) by Adriano Celentano. A remixed video of her dancing and singing in the song went viral on the internet in 2008.

Also, Rafaella Carrà worked with Bob Sinclar on the new single "Far l'Amore" which was released on YouTube on March 17, 2011.

Television hostess[link]

Raffaella Carrà

As a television hostess, Carrà has done significant work since the late 1970s, mainly in the Italian (RAI) and Spanish (TVE) national TV networks. One of her most celebrated series has been the Pronto Raffaella? gameshow (Italy, 1983–1985), in which she answered the phone calls of her contestants. The show's format was copied in many Latin-American Countries and Spain, in South America (in Argentina by Susana Giménez, in Peru by Gisela Valcárcel and in Brazil by Christina Rocha), with great success. Carrà hosted one such adaptation, ¡Hola Raffaella! (1992–1994) for Spanish television.

From 2008, returning by popular demand, Carrà hosts a variety show on Italian national and international RAI network, Carràmba! Che fortuna, the show in which the families around the world are reunited on live television.

Actress[link]

Carrà debuted in cinema at age nine, in Tormento del passato (1952). She did five other movies until 1960 when she graduated from the national film school of Italy. Also in that year, she appeared in Long Night in 1943 (1960). In 1965, she moved to the United States signing with 20th Century Fox. As Carrà, she starred in the motion picture Von Ryan's Express (1965) with Frank Sinatra, Edward Mulhare, and Trevor Howard. In 1966, she guest starred in an episode of the American television series I Spy (Sophia, as the title character). Feeling homesick, she decided to return to Italy where she starred in about twenty Italian films such as Le Saint prend l'affût and the Our Man Flint parody Il vostro super agente Flit (1966) as well as a few television shows. However, subsequently her acting career has been scarce with no more than five works mainly for television.

Spanish-language market[link]

After her boom in the Italian market of the early 1970s, Carrà moved to Spain, doing television and releasing records in the Spanish language. This led her to move to South America, where her records had been heard for some years. In 1979 she established her headquarters in Buenos Aires, which was under a military regime. Carrà was one of the figures of the ATC, the official television network of Argentina. She was very well received throughout Latin America, and filled the stadiums and theaters wherever she performed. In 1980 she filmed the Barbara musical romantic comedy, also in Buenos Aires, with the most important stars of the region. In that same year, five capitals of the world (Buenos Aires, Mexico DF, Rome, Moscow, and London) joined up to celebrate her in a television special. After appearing in the Festival de Vina del Mar (1982) she returned permanently to Italy. She visited the city of Salto, Uruguay and performed a show in the Parque Harriague.

Owing to this stint, Carrà has generated much social controversy along the years, allegedly as a "puppet"^[3] of the Argentinian National Reorganization Process.^[4][5][6]

Personal life[link]

Carrà has had a twenty year relationship with the choreographer Sergio Japino.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Raffaella Carrà at the Internet Movie Database
• Raffaella Carrà at the MSN
• Russian fan site

The Greek is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actor Bill Raymond. The Greek is the head of an international criminal organization involved in narcotics and human trafficking.^[1] The Greek is a mysterious figure involved in numerous criminal activities. His given name is never mentioned on the show, and though he is known only as "The Greek", he has stated (in the episode Port in a Storm) that he is not actually Greek. A quiet and unassuming man, the Greek prefers to keep a low profile, operating all of his business through his lieutenant Spiros "Vondas" Vondopoulos. His smuggling organization operated from a small diner in Baltimore for years, and while Vondas would conduct business the Greek would listen in quietly at the counter. Nick Sobotka, upon seeing the Greek identify himself, was amazed that the shadowy figure had been in plain sight the entire time.

Despite his calm appearance, the Greek is cunning and ruthless, and only interested in facts that make him more money. Series creator David Simon has said that The Greek is an embodiment of raw unencumbered capitalism.^[2] Anyone interfering in this process is eliminated immediately, and he prefers to leave victims headless and handless to hinder identification.

The Greek's smuggling operation includes importing sex trade workers, illicit drugs, stolen goods and chemicals for drug processing. He bribes union stevedores to move containers through the Baltimore port for him and uses his muscle, Sergei "Serge" Malatov, to run containers back and forth from the port to his warehouse, a front managed by "Double G" Glekas. The Greek supplies the major drug dealers in East Baltimore with pure cocaine and heroin, using Eton Ben-Eleazer to move his drugs. His chief client is Proposition Joe, but he is also affiliated with smaller drug dealing organizations like those run by "White Mike" McArdle. His sex trade interests in Baltimore include a brothel run by a madam named Ilona Petrovitch, bringing in girls from eastern Europe. He manages to avoid prosecution for his crimes because an FBI counter-terrorism agent named Kristos Koutris tips him off if a criminal investigation gets too close. It is suggested he and Vondas may serve as federal informants.

Biography[link]

Season 2[link]

The Greek began to draw police attention in Baltimore when his contact at the docks, Frank Sobotka, became the target of an investigation. At the same time a container of thirteen dead young women intended for the sex trade was discovered at the docks, triggering a high-profile homicide investigation. The container belonged to the Greek and the girls were killed by a crewman onboard the vessel that had delivered them. The ship's crew had been paying the girls for sex and when one of the girls refused, she was killed. The crewman responsible dumped her overboard and collapsed the air pipe to kill the remaining women. The Greek had Sergei track the crewman down, interrogated him personally, and had Vondas kill him.

As the investigation continued the police were able to link Eton and Sergei to the drug smuggling operation. When police began tracking containers as they left the port, The Greek and Vondas began to close down the operation temporarily by dumping their cell phones and stealing "clean" containers. Persuading Sobotka to keep the smuggling operation going he bought further protection from Agent Koutris by betraying a load of Colombian cocaine, giving him time to destroy incriminating evidence in the warehouse and Glekas' store.

The Greek recognized that the investigation was too extensive to stop and made plans to leave, sending Vondas to assure Proposition Joe that supply of drugs would continue albeit with new faces. He attempted to buy Sobotka's silence with promised legal aid for his son, but when he learned from Koutris that Frank was planning to turn informant he had the union man killed. Although Frank's nephew Nick Sobotka was able to identify The Greek in a photo and Sergei was pressured to give up the location of his hotel suite, Vondas and the Greek had already boarded a flight to Chicago. Aware that the Greek and Vondas were gone, the police left the investigation behind and moved on to the drug dealers he supplied.

Seasons 4 & 5[link]

The Greek continued to supply "Proposition Joe" Stewart, who formed an organization with other drug dealers called the New Day Co-Op to provide The Greek's product to them in exchange for reduced violence and sharing of territory. When Omar Little steals an entire shipment of heroin from the Greek's men as it is being delivered to Stewart's people, Marlo Stanfield demands a meeting with Spiros "Vondas" Vondopoulos in order to allay his fears that Stewart was responsible.^[3][4] Once Stanfield is satisfied, he waits for the Major Crimes Unit's investigation into his activities to cease and then moves to establish a direct relationship with Vondas and the Greek. After getting in communication with Vondas through former soldier Sergei,^[5][6] Marlo eventually sells himself as Joe's replacement by convincing the Greek that he requires an insurance policy in the form of a replacement for Proposition Joe, in the event that anything should happen to him. Realizing that Stanfield will move against Stewart regardless of his approval, the Greek accepts Marlo's proposal to act as an "insurance policy," knowing that it will mean Joe's death.^[7][8]

After Stewart's murder, Stanfield meets with Vondas to initiate their new business relationship.^[9][10] Stanfield's tenure proves short lived when he is forced into retirement by an investigation, and the other Co-Op members purchase the connection from Stanfield. In the closing scenes of the series finale, Slim Charles and Fat-Face Rick take over meeting with Vondas while the Greek listens quietly in the background.^[11][12]

References[link]