How many pennies were in a British pre-decimal pound?
After the Norman Conquest in 1066, the pound was divided into twenty shillings or 240 pennies. It remained so until 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).
2 farthings = 1 halfpenny
2 halfpence = 1 penny (1d)
3 pence = 1 thruppence (3d)
6 pence = 1 sixpence (a 'tanner') (6d)
12 pence = 1 shilling (a bob) (1s)
2 shillings = 1 florin ( a 'two bob bit') (2s)
2 shillings and 6 pence = 1 half crown (2s 6d)
5 shillings = 1 Crown (5s)
More Info:
projectbritain.com
What are your thoughts on this subject?
24 Comments
Lynne Brereton
When we were young we used to save our pocket money to spend on our camping holidays. If we could save enough to have a ten bob note, we were rich. Sometimes we even got to the giddy heights of having a whole pound note! Mind you, in those days we could buy four a penny chews. That money went a long way.
Ian Swindale
For many, many years after decimalisation I tended to convert any decimal price back into Pounds, Shillings and Pence.
Albeck1994
Agreed although for some reason we still use the guinea for buying and selling horses and horse racing prizes
Larry Freeman
I lived in Banbury, Oxfordshire, England for a couple of years in the late 60's... had to learn to count in pounds, shilling and pence ( 'LSD' or '£sd').
Bill Coe
And just one more reason, along with 21 shillings in a guinea, that the metric system makes so much more sense. Even mathematically challenged individuals (apparently most of US and Canada) can at least divide by 10s.
Noelito
Very interesting... I've always wanted to understand how this pre-Decimal currency was arranged. Thanks!
Bob Fowler
Sadly I'm old enough to remember it well. My Pocket Money was so heavy my Shorts would be falling down.
Jerry Edwards
Rusty,
It would be confusing to anyone now, but at the time, because everyone was used to it, it was easy to understand.
Anyone that is confused with the imperial system, is what everyone old enough to remember decimalisation went through themselves in the seventies. After all, they had to convert to a new fandangled way, as well.😀😀😀
Fred Keogh
Claude Carlson, 4 English pennies (fourpence) was a Groat..
Chris Lee
What was the rationale for a guinea? sounds like a baker's dozen to me..:)
Rusty
Sounds like a very confusing system to me
Grant McIntosh
Leonard Dixon, Totally agree....the beer in my local pub was 2s 10d before decimalisation, but on the 15th February it immediately went up to 15p (3s). Reason given was to round the price up to make it easy for customers to deal with...…..nobody bought that load of bull. The rounding up (never rounding down) that was carried out, was scandalous.
Fred Zeb Fudpucker
DannyBoy, Google is your friend. Find the calculator. It is neat!
Julie Allen
David MacGregor, Did you not have halfpennies as well? Australia did
Rob Farr
It was a similar monetary system here in Australia before 1966, when we changed to decimal currency ... I remember it well.
mkrash
Ya I still have some from 30 years ago from visiting London .
Bill Coe
Canada has done away with pennies. With cash transactions they round up or down to the nearest nickle. For credit card transactions, they still go right to the penny. Sure saves a lot of wear and tear on the pockets. But we do have a $1.00 and $2.00 coin. Talk of abolishing the nickle in the next year or two. Which makes sense. Lynn Brereton talked about "four a penny chews" (British). We (Canada) used to buy penny candies. They are now a dime. So, the smallest denominatin in the 50s is the same as a dime now. No need for pennies or nickles. And our loonie ($1) is about the same as our 50s dime and our toonie ($2) about the same as a 50s quarter. So, there goes that argument about $1 and $2 coins being too much to carry. You carried the EXACT same in the 50s.