I've heard that the word dollar comes from the word thaler, which were one-ounce silver coins minted in renaissance-era Europe. Does the British pound have a similar predecessor? i.e. were one-pound silver coins ever common? Where were they used, who used them, and how?
Does the British pound have a similar predecessor?
Sortof. The pound sterling takes its name from the silver penny, which was first minted around the time of King Offa in the 8th century. The English coinage mimicked the Carolignian system (1 libra = 20 solidii = 240 denarii, hence the "Lsd" for British pound, shilling, and pence); so 1 pound sterling = 240 silver pence...which was literally one pound of silver coins, but not literally a silver coin that weighed one pound. You can read more about it in The Coinage of King Offa and His Contemporaries.