Napoleon Series Archive 2020

tricky calculations

This one is a list of payment which had been made to soldiers for tailor's work done by them. It was encouraged by the Prussian government that regiments had made their clothing by their own soldiers who had learned this profession.

There are two things to know in order to understand the calculation.

First, 1 Reichsthaler = 24 Groschen (à 12 Pfennig) = 288 Pfennig.

Second, in Prusssia there were two types of coins in use: Courant/Kurant, whose metal value was equal to its nominal value, and Scheidemünze, which was made from alloys whose value did not match the higher nominal value of the coin.

A Prussian law of 13 December 1811 fixed the exchange rate between them (at the same time promising to eliminate the bad coins in the course of the following years): For 100 Courant, 175 in low value money should to be paid.

https://books.google.de/books?id=M-9uzQOIawIC&pg=PA67

The translation:

NCO Schmidt (he doesn't appear in the Rangierrolle which you posted) received for the tailoring of collars and also cuffs 120 sets at 6 pf.
for 25 shakos (perhaps shako covers?) at 1 gr
for 9 greatcoats ("Mäntel"), each tailoring at 2 Groschen Courant
for 7 caps (here, "Mützen" is correct) at 1 gr
for 7 [pairs of] gloves ["Handschuhe"] at 1 gr

Musketeer Mudutzky [?] for 20 uniform coats ["Montierungen"] at 1 gr
Musketeer Hunse [?] for 25 uniform coats at 1 gr

It seems out of proportion that for tailoring a cap and a pair of gloves and a complete uniform coat the same amount is paid, and that a collar makes half the pay of tailoring a complete uniform coat. At least, things which are easier to cut are paid in Scheidemünze.

But these prices do not represent the real costs which would have had to be paid to a tailor. It s just a small addition to the soldiers' pay, who continued to receive their ordinary pay. Probably, for less than a Groschen per item they wouldn't have bothered to start working.

It is interesting that the total sum in the end is 6 Groschen higher than it should be. Who did get this money ?

The transcription (a lot of spelling variations for "Courant", and "[Scheide]münze" is sometimes spelled "Mütze"). As spacing is not possible in the forum messages, I have set the second column with the amounts which are added, in bold:

Der U[nier]off[izier] Schmidt [?] erhielt für das zuschneiden der Kragen und auch aufschläge 120 Stück a 6 pf. Müntze [?]
macht - 2 rth 12 gr Müntze - 1 rth 10 gr [correctly: 1 rth 10 gr 3pf and a bit]
für 35 Czakot a 1 gr Courandt macht 1 rth 11 gr Courandt 1 rth 11 gr Couran
für 9 Mandel den zu schneiden a 2 gr Coran macht 18 gr 18 gr Corand
für 7 Mützen d[it]o d[it]o a 1 gr Mü[n]tze - 7 gr Mü[n]tze
für 7 gr Handschu - - a 1 gr Müntze - 7 gr mü[n]tze 8 gr Courandt [includes the line before]
Summa 4 rth Courandt [correctly: 3 rth 23 gr - rounded up to make good for the three Pfennig rounded down above ?]
Mus[quetier] Mudutzky [???] für 20 Mondirungen a 1 gr - 20 gr Corand
" Hunse [???] 25 M[n]od[ierungen]. - a 1 gr 1 rth 1 gr Courand [deleted: 2 rth 12]
Sum[ma] 5 Rth 21 gr. [correctly: 5 rth 15 gr]

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