Just my Two Shillings

[4thIDvet]

Originally Posted by 44044

Can I put in my two cents worth?

No that would make cents.

[MrKalashnikov]

I have quite a bit of English currency I picked up in London when I was there in 2003. Both paper currency & coins. I like to collect money from different countries I've visited over the years. The most colorful paper money I have is Jamaican, from a trip there back in the 80's.

[GARANDNUT]

Originally Posted by Rick-a-Roo

I’ll work on it again later this pm. I just managed to delete 15 minutes worth of punching the Iphone keyboard.


LATER:

IIRC in early 1971 Britain switched from the old L.s.d. (Pounds, shillings and pence) system of currency to a newer decimal system. The stylized L ￡ of ￡.s.d. (and today's ￡.p.) is taken from the Latin libra pondo.

How it was:

Basically the pound = 20 shillings = 240 pennies (pence) Therefore 1 shilling = 12 pence.


Coinage:
The ￡.s.d. system's coinage was the Crown (worth 5 shillings), the half-crown (worth 2 shillings and six pence), the florin (worth 2 shillings), the six penny piece (a.k.a. sixpence), the threepenny piece, the penny, the half-penny and the farthing (a quarter of a penny).

The crown (worth 1/4 pound or five shillings), half-crown (worth 1/8 pound or two shillings & six pence), florin (worth two shillings or 24 pence), shilling (12 pence), & sixpence were at one time silver, but later were cupro-nickel thus maintaining the silver tone.

There was also on odd looking little bugger, the three-penny piece - the only non-round coin having twelve sides, neither copper or silver, then the copper penny, half-penny and farthing (worth 1/4 penny). To give some idea of size, the sixpence is about the size of a 1 US cent coin, the penny +/- 1.25 inches in diameter IIRC.

Visit this site to view a set containing the old coinage (without) the farthing on the left and the 'new' coinage on the right:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/12505185718...ntid=433607794

Paper money:
In common use were the pound note and the ten shilling (half a pound) note; less common was the five pound note. Today, of course, there are now 10 and 20 pound notes in common use, and probably a fifty, but I don't recollect seeing one.

Not address above are the guinea, the half guinea, nor the sovereign. Another time perhaps.

Well my hillbilly brain just cant process what you posted and I still do not understand this.

So for clarification: When Scrooge offered to pay the boy a half a crown to get the turkey for Cratchit how much money would that have been in the 19 century. I guess what I need is context.

[aviator]

Oh About £12.50

[Rick-a-Roo]

Originally Posted by aviator

Oh About £12.50

or +/- $US15.30.

[9teen11]

In Oz, we went decimal in '66.

Some non copper pre decimal coins remained in service and were treated the same as the new currency. Our old "shilling" was the same dimensions as the new 10 cent coin & the old "six pence" was the same as the 5 cent coin. The 2 shilling coin was known as a "florin" and was the same size as the new 20 cent coin. So, 2 shillings were worth one florin. It was common to see pre decimal coins turn up in change throughout the 1970s.

I suppose it helped with parking meters and bought a little time as things transitioned. Our pre WW2 imperial coins were sterling silver, post war were 50% silver. Now our coins are cupronickel and have no real value.

The "shilling" was colloquially referred to as a "bob" over here & it is still common here for people to say "my 2 bobs worth" rather than "2 shillings worth". Never heard anyone say "my florins worth" though.

[4thIDvet]

Travels to the Orient I would just take a handful of notes out of my pocket toss it on the counter and just have the clerks take whatever the hell the total was.
I would take one of our hooker friends with me on occasion and just ask her to stay back and watch. Not that I cared I was just interested in their honesty.
She say "Tim take exact right amount." Every nationality has its faults but be damned the Orientals despise thieves.

[Rick-a-Roo]

Originally Posted by 9teen11

In Oz, we went decimal in '66.

Some non copper pre decimal coins remained in service and were treated the same as the new currency. Our old "shilling" was the same dimensions as the new 10 cent coin & the old "six pence" was the same as the 5 cent coin. The 2 shilling coin was known as a "florin" and was the same size as the new 20 cent coin. So, 2 shillings were worth one florin. It was common to see pre decimal coins turn up in change throughout the 1970s.

I suppose it helped with parking meters and bought a little time as things transitioned. Our pre WW2 imperial coins were sterling silver, post war were 50% silver. Now our coins are cupronickel and have no real value.

The "shilling" was colloquially referred to as a "bob" over here & it is still common here for people to say "my 2 bobs worth" rather than "2 shillings worth". Never heard anyone say "my florins worth" though.

That's pretty much how it was in Blighty, ...the shilling was indeed a
"bob" and the 10 shill note was a "ten bob" note.

Looks like a case of the offspring leading the parent....no offence meant.

[9teen11]

Originally Posted by Rick-a-Roo

That's pretty much how it was in Blighty, ...the shilling was indeed a
"bob" and the 10 shill note was a "ten bob" note.

Looks like a case of the offspring leading the parent....no offence meant.

All good mate!

My old pop came out from the "Old Dart" just before the "Great War". I still have one of the gold sovereigns he brought with him. He was a Wiltshire man.

A lot of the older blokes still called the one dollar note "10 bob". That all ended when the note was replaces with a horrid coin.

Good memories!

[Rick-a-Roo]

Originally Posted by 9teen11

I still have one of the gold sovereigns he brought
with him.

That sovereign is now worth several hundred U.S. dollars, depending on
date and condition of course. Gold is good.

I had a half sovereign made up into a necklace for Kim as a b'day prezzie a
year or two ago, she wears it every day.

[9teen11]

Originally Posted by Rick-a-Roo

That sovereign is now worth several hundred U.S. dollars, depending on
date and condition of course. Gold is good.

I had a half sovereign made up into a necklace for Kim as a b'day prezzie a
year or two ago, she wears it every day.

Yep, they are 1/4 oz 22 carat so just bullion alone makes them attractive. :-)