Sequin
SEQUIN (the French form of Ital. zccchino, zecchino d'oro), the name of a Venetian gold coin, first minted about 1280, and in use until the fall of the Venetian Republic. It was worth about nine shillings. It bore on the obverse a figure of St Mark blessing the banner of the republic, held by a kneeling doge, and on the reverse a figure of Christ. Milan and Genoa also issued gold sequins. The word in Italian was formed from zecca, Span, zeca, a mint, an adaptation of Arabic sikka, a die for coins. In the sense of " newly-coined," the Hindi or Persian sikka, anglicised sicca, was specifically used of a rupee, containing more silver than the East India Company's rupee, coined in 1793 by the Bengal government. The " sicca-rupee " ceased to be circulated after 1836. The term " sequin " is now used for small discs made of thin pieces of metal, tinfoil, celluloid or other composite material, highly glazed and brightly coloured, and applied as trimming for ladies' dresses.
Note - this article incorporates content from Encyclopaedia Britannica, Eleventh Edition, (1910-1911)
