Grosh

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A grosh coined in Bologna, Italy, in the 15th century.

Grosh (also Grosch, Grosz, Gros, Groš) is a small silver coin issued by a number of countries. Historically it was equal to between several and a dozen denarii. It was minted since the Middle Ages in the following states:

Italy (since 1172)
France (since 1266 - the turon grosh)
Tyrol (since 1271)
Bohemia (since 1300, the Prague grosh, later adopted by most of the Central European countries)
Poland (since 1367, the Kraków grosh, 3,2 grammes of silver, an equivalent of 12 denarius)

Later the tradition of Groshes was dropped in most states while others continued to mint only coins smaller than the original grosh. In Poland since 1526 these included coins of 1/2 grosz, 1 grosz, 1,5 grosz, 2 grosz, 3 grosz, 4 grosz and 6 grosz. Their weight gradually dropped to 1,8 grammes of silver and since 1752 they were replaced by copper coins of the same name.

In modern times the name was adopted by two currencies:

In Poland a grosz (plural: grosze or groszy, depending on the number) is a 1/100 part of a Złoty
In Austria a Groschen (plural: Groschen) was a 1/100 part of a Schilling (1924-1938 and 1945-2001)

In Western Ukraine grosh is still a slang term for the kopiyka, a 1/100 part of a Hryvnia. The Ukrainian word for money, hroshi, ultimately derives from this term also.

Likewise, in Germany Groschen remained a slang term for the 10 Pfennig coin, thus a 1/10 part both of the (West German) Deutsche Mark and the (East German) mark. The word has lost popularity with the introduction of the Euro, although it can still be heard on occasion, especially from older people.

In Bulgaria, the grosh (Cyrillic: грош) was used as a currency until the lev was introduced in the 19th century. The term has been retained as a general word for a coin or currency in a number of money-related proverbs and sayings, and can also be regularly met in folk tales or stories set vaguely in the past.