Thread: How did the old British Monetary system work?

I want to know about:
pounds
shillings
bobs
haypennys
guinneas
dabloons
quids
ect...
How are they related and which ones are the official names and which ones are nicknames?

a guinea was a gold coin worth a pound and a shilling
a shilling = 5 p i think

a soveriegn was a 22caret gold coin worth? i have no idea but i have a 1913 half sov which is nice

Prior to decimalization in 1971 Britain used a system of pounds, shillings and pence. ('£sd' or 'LSD'). The smallest unit of currency was a penny, the plural of which was pence (or pennies). There were 12 pence in a shilling and 20 shillings in a pound. The pound came in the form of a paper bill, called a note, or a gold coin, called a sovereign.

1 farthing (the lowest value coin) = 1/4 penny
A ha'penny (Half penny - a copper coin) = 1/2 penny (pronounced "heipni")
1 penny (a copper coin) = one of the basic units (1d)
Threepence or Thruppenny Bit = 3 pence (pronounced "thrupence")
Sixpence (a silver coin also called a 'tanner') = 6 pence
1 shilling = 12 pence (1s)
1 florin (a silver coin that numismatists regard as one of the most beautiful medieval English coins) = 2 shillings
A half-crown = 2 shillings and 6 pence
1 crown = 5 shillings = 1/4 pound
1 pound = 20 shillings = 240 pence (£1)
1 sovereign = a gold coin with a face value of one pound (about .24 ounces of 22 carat gold)

Rosalia's list is pretty good but there were also a ten shilling note (ten bob) and a five pound note (fiver)
The pound was a quid and still is

12 pence in a shilling, 20 shillings in a pound.
A guinea was, after 1816, not a coin but an amount of £1 1 shilling.
Bob and quid are slang for shilling and pound respectively.
A sixpence (half a shilling) was in slang a tanner and a half-crown, 2 shilings and sixpence, or eight to the pound, was 'half a dollar'
Doubloons were Spanish gold coins, not British.

The pre-decimal system was a terrible one to learn but a great one to use.

try google victoria coinage This page is well worth a read Good luck Kev