diff --git a/tests/test_Configuration.py b/tests/test_Configuration.py
index 00d5ddf7f76ca08f6a46e8719f77b03f56c70d57..b59d3c012747ba13ca39fdbb59175242f3210fdd 100644
--- a/tests/test_Configuration.py
+++ b/tests/test_Configuration.py
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+import decimal
 import os
 
 import pytest
@@ -42,3 +43,36 @@ def test_historical_default_base(ini_filename, expected_currency, use_switch, an
     arglist.append(any_date.isoformat())
     config = config_from(ini_filename, arglist)
     assert config.args.base == expected_currency
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize('amount,from_curr,preposition,to_curr', [
+    (None, 'JPY', None, None),
+    (decimal.Decimal('1000'), 'chf', None, None),
+    (decimal.Decimal('999'), 'Eur', None, 'Chf'),
+    (decimal.Decimal('12.34'), 'gbp', 'IN', 'eur'),
+])
+def test_historical_argparsing_success(amount, from_curr, preposition, to_curr, any_date):
+    arglist = ['historical', any_date.isoformat()]
+    arglist.extend(str(s) for s in [amount, from_curr, preposition, to_curr]
+                   if s is not None)
+    config = config_from(os.devnull, arglist)
+    assert config.args.amount == amount
+    assert config.args.from_currency == from_curr.upper()
+    if to_curr is not None:
+        assert config.args.to_currency == to_curr.upper()
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize('arglist', [
+    ['100'],
+    ['120', 'dollars'],
+    ['to', '42', 'usd'],
+    ['99', 'usd', 'minus', 'jpy'],
+    ['usdjpy'],
+    ['44', 'eur', 'in', 'chf', 'pronto'],
+])
+def test_historical_argparsing_failure(arglist, any_date):
+    arglist = ['historical', any_date.isoformat()] + arglist
+    try:
+        config = config_from(os.devnull, arglist)
+    except SystemExit:
+        pass
+    else:
+        assert not vars(config.args), "bad arglist succeeded"