so complicated !
Before decimalization on 15 February 1971, there were
twenty (20) shillings per
pound.
The
shilling was subdivided into
twelve (12) pennies.
The
penny was further sub-divided into
two halfpennies or
four farthings (quarter pennies).
More than a pound (£)
1 guinea and a £5.0.0 note
1
guinea = £1-1s-0d ( £1/1/- ) = one pound and one shilling =
21 shillings or 21/- (which is £1.05 in todays money)
1
guinea could be written as '1g' or '1gn'.
A guinea was considered a more gentlemanly amount than £1. You paid tradesmen, such as a carpenter, in pounds but gentlemen, such as an artist, in guineas.
A third of a guinea equalled exactly seven shillings.
Less than a pound (£)
Shilling and pennies
"Bob" is slang for shilling (which is 5p in todays money)
1 shilling equalled
twelve pence (12d).
£1 (
one pound) equalled
20 shillings (20s or 20/-)
240 pennies ( 240d ) = £1
There were 240 pennies to a pound because originally 240 silver penny coins weighed 1 pound (1lb).
A sum of £3 12s 6d was normally written as £3-12-6, but a sum of 12s 6d was normally recorded as 12/6.
Amounts less than a pound were also written as:
12/6 meaning 12s-6d
10/- meaning ten shillings.
An amount such as 12/6 would be pronounced 'twelve and six' as a more casual form of 'twelve shillings and sixpence'.
More than a Shilling (s. or /- )
Coins of more than one shilling ( 1/- ) but less than £1 in value were:
| a florin (a two shillings or 2 bob or 2 bob bit) | 10 x 2/- = £1 |
| a half-crown ( 2/6d) (2 shillings and 6 pence) | 8 x 2/6d = £1 |
| a crown (5/-) (five shillings or 5 bob) | 4 x 5/- = £1 |
| a half-sovereign (ten shillings or 10 bob) | 2 x 10/- = £1 |
| a half-guinea (10/6d) (10 shillings and 6 pence) | 2 x 10/6d = £1/1/- |
Less than a Shilling (s. or /- )
| Other coins of a value less than 1/- were | 1/- (shilling) = |
| a half-groat (2d) | 6 x 2d = 1/- |
| a threepenny bit (threepence) (3d) made of silver | 4 x 3d. = 1/- |
a groat (4d)
There were four pennies in a groat | 3 x 4d = 1/- |
| a sixpence (silver) often called a 'tanner' | 2 x 6d = 1/- |
| a penny (copper) often called a 'copper' | 12 x 1d = 1/- |
The word threepence would often be pronounced as though there was only a single middle "e", therefore "thre-pence". The slang name for the coin was
Joey.
Penny coins were referred to as '
coppers'
Less than a penny (d)
Pennies were broken down into other coins:
| a farthing | = ¼ of a penny (1/4d) |
a halfpenny
(pronounced 'hay-p'ny') | = ½ of a penny (1/2d) |
Farthing
Diameter : 20.0 mm ; Weight : 2.8 grams
Half Penny
Diameter : 25.0 mm ; Weight : 5.7 grams
Other names for coins
A
shilling was often called a 'bob'.
"It cost me four bob."
Five shilling piece or
crown was sometimes called a dollar
sixpence (silver) - often called a 'tanner'
A
penny was often called a '
copper' after the metal it was minted from.
Old money conversions to money used today
- Sixpence - 2½p
- One shilling (or 'bob') - 5p
- Half a crown (2 shillings and sixpence) - 12½p
- One guinea - £1.05
