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I think it’s so you can fit the cents symbol at the end e.g. $6.75c - but this isn’t really used anymore so the dollar sign at the front is a bit of a historical anomaly at this point.

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Honest question, was it ever used in that combination? I've seen ¢ used for amounts less than a dollar, e.g.: 75¢. I (still) sometimes use it like that, because, I guess, it makes me feel adjusted to my environment, as an ESL :-) But I've never seen both $ and ¢ in the same amount/expression.

6.5' vs 6'5" vs 6'5 ?

Isn’t 6.5’ six and a half feet, i.e. 6’6”?

Well, exactly

Ah, so I also don't think I have seen this in practice, but I suppose it's possible that it originated from pre-decimal-system currencies, like the old British money system, where perhaps it was more important to use separate units for clarity.

I suppose it's also possible it needs to sometimes be used (although, again, I have never seen this) in certain cases in more 'formal' situations - accounting, contracts and so on. I guess the format, with the symbols wrapping the numbers so as to make them easier to parse, does make sense.

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