Pre-decimal

[poliphilo]

At the back of the Penguin Kipps there's a note explaining the pre-decimal British currency- sixpences, florins, guineas.  My first thought was, "surely everybody knows about that"- and then I did some calculations and realised you'd have to be pushing 50 to have ever worked with the old money. It's things like this that make me realise how venerable I am.

Comments

[airstrip.livejournal.com]

So that's what all those terms were about. To be honest, when they assigned British literature to us in grade school, I always thought that they just had a lot of slang terms for their coins.

[steepholm.livejournal.com]

The sad thing is that there were interesting slang terms for all the old coins. In the 40 years since, the new coinage seems not to have picked up any at all.

[veronica-milvus.livejournal.com]

There was a move at one time to call the pound coin the "Maggie" after Mrs Thatcher. Because it was bold, brassy, and thought it was a sovereign.

[steepholm.livejournal.com]

I'd not heard that! I can see 'clegg' as a low-denomination coin ("I didn't have a clegg to my name!"), but can't decide which one.

[karenkay.livejournal.com]

I *love* this!

[oakmouse]

*dies laughing*

[veronica-milvus.livejournal.com]

I am sure there is a Wikipedia site that covers tanners, thruppeny bits, ha'pennies, shillings, ten bob notes, fivers, groats, farthings, florins, bun pennies, crowns, half crowns, sovereigns, guineas, ponies, monkeys and all other official and unofficial names.

[oakmouse]

This site's awesome. My dad, who is a coin collector, spent days browsing it when he found it.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I regret the old money. It was totally mad, but the coins had a certain heft and dignity. The new coinage is trivial by comparison- though I like the chunky £1 coins

[airstrip.livejournal.com]

I think it might be cost, to be honest. But yeah, I really like chunkier coins as well.

[ibid.livejournal.com]

I remember florins and shilling being used until they resized the 10 and 5 pence coins. It was probably better for everyones math skills too

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

The duodecimal system is mad. The only way it would make sense would be if we had 12 fingers.