Your Guide to the UK’s Pre-Decimal Currency

If you were born after the UK’s coinage system turned decimal, or it’s simply been a while since you’ve thought about pre-decimal coinage, it can be a bit confusing!

From the farthing, to the Thrup’nny bit, there’s a lot of coins to get your head around. So, Change Checker is on hand with your guide to the UK’s pre-decimal currency!

The Farthing

1924 George V – 1 Farthing. Source: Numista.

The farthing equaled that of a quarter of a penny and it was issued for circulation for nearly 100 years (1860-1956).

This small but significant coin featured the portraits of 11 monarchs, including George I, Queen Victoria, and Queen Elizabeth II.

Half Penny

1958 QEII Half Penny. Source: Numista.

Suggestive of its name, the half penny was worth, literally half of a penny in value. Two farthings would therefore make a half penny!

The last half penny issued for circulation was dated 1967.

Penny

1922 King George V One Penny. Source: Numista

The pre-decimal One Penny, also known as 1d, held a lot less value than the modern ‘New’ Penny – there were 240 pennies in a pre-decimal pound!

They were used in circulation from 1714 and the last One Penny was struck in 1967, before the introduction of the ‘New’ Penny in 1971.

Threepence

1941 King George VI Threepence. Source: Numista.

The 12-sided threepenny (or 3d) is fondly remembered for its individuality. There was quite literally nothing quite like it before, and it holds the proud title of Britain’s first non-circular coin since milled coins were introduced in the 17th century.

The unconventional shape and thickness of the new brass Thrup’nny Bit made it easy to identify amongst other coins in loose change and it quickly proved to be a very popular new addition.

Alongside this brass version of the threepenny, a silver 3d also circulated through the reign of King George V. It even sometimes circulated alongside the brass coin!

Its name derived from it’s value, being equal to exactly three pennies.

Sixpence

1967 Queen Elizabeth II Sixpence. Source: Numista

Also called a ‘Tanner’ the sixpence was equivalent to one-fortieth of a pound sterling, or half a shilling.

It was first minted in 1551, during the reign of Edward VI, and circulated until 1980.

Throughout centuries, the sixpence has been considered lucky, with fathers slipping one into their daughter’s shoe on their wedding day, and families hiding one in their Christmas pudding, in the hope it would bring prosperity and good fortune.

The sixpences continued to be legal tender until 1980 with a value of 2 and a half new pence. The public were so fond of the sixpence, that there was even a ‘Save Our Sixpence’ campaign!

Shilling

1938 King George VI One Shilling. Source: Numista.

A shilling (or 1/-) was worth 12 pennies and there were 20 in the pre-decimal pound sterling.

The shilling was technically replaced by the five new pence in 1968 in preparation for the decimal changeover in 1971 but they were used as five pence pieces until the 5p was made smaller in 1990.

Florin

1936 King George V 1 Florin. Source: Numista

The Florin (or Two Shillings, 2/-) was worth 24 pre-decimal pence or two shillings. It was introduced by Victorians in a step towards decimalisation because it was worth one tenth of a pre-decimal pound sterling.

The last Florin intended for circulation was dated 1967 but these coins were used as Ten new pence until the 10p was made smaller in 1990.

Half Crown

1937 King George VI Half Crown. Source: Numista

The Half Crown (2/6) was worth 30 pre-decimal pence (or two shillings and sixpence). There were eight Half Crowns in a pound sterling.

The last crown for circulation was dated 1967.

Crown

1965 Elizabeth II (Churchill) 1 Crown. Source: Numista.

The English crown was introduced by order of King Henry VIII in 1544 but it wasn’t until 1707 that we saw the British crown. It was the successor to the English crown and the Scottish dollar, and it came into being with the Union of Kingdoms of England and Scotland.

It was worth 60 pre-decimal pence or 1/4 of a pound sterling. The legal tender value of the crown remained as 25p until 1990 when their face value was increased to £5 in view of its relatively large size compared to other coins.

With its large size, many of the later coins were primarily commemoratives. The 1965 issue carried the image of Winston Churchill on the reverse, the first time a non-monarch or commoner was ever placed on a British coin, and marked his death.

In 2010, Crowns (£5) were no longer available from banks or post offices and other distributors for face value. They are now reserved for significant anniversaries, birthdays or celebrations and are available to purchase from The Royal Mint and other distributors.

Half Sovereign and Sovereign

1/2 King George V 1/2 Sovereign

Sovereigns had a face value of 20 Shillings (or one pound) and Half Sovereigns of 10 Shillings. As they are made of 22ct Gold, they have a much higher metal value and have not been used as currency in recent years due to this.

Sovereigns are now reserved for flagship royal or historical anniversaries and are only available to purchase from The Royal Mint or official distributors.


Now that you’ve read your guide to the UK’s pre-decimal currency, do you have a favourite coin from the ones we’ve mentioned? Let us know in the comments below!


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The Thrup’nny Bit: A 12-sided Story

The 12-sided £1 coin entered circulation as the ‘world-leading coin’ in anti-counterfeiting technology, and it is being billed by the Royal Mint as ‘the most secure denomination in the world’. But the shape of this modern £1 coin is actually a throwback to the thrup’nny bit – an old favourite from the pre-decimal era.

The 12-sided threepenny is fondly remembered for its individuality. There was quite literally nothing quite like it before, and it holds the proud title of Britain’s first non-circular coin since milled coins were introduced in the 17th century.

Threepences

The Thrup’nny bit was Britain’s first non-circular coin

Its predecessor, the ‘Joey’, was a very small silver threepence which was often lost or dropped. It was unpopular with the British public, who were crying out for a coin with a more convenient weight-to-value ratio.

In 1937 they finally got it.

The new design was actually planned for the coinage of Edward VIII, but his short-lived reign meant that only a dozen trial pieces were produced with his effigy. These particular threepence pieces have since been written into folklore as among the most sought-after coins in history.

The unconventional shape and thickness of the new brass threepence made it easy to identify amongst other coins in loose change, and it quickly proved to be a very popular new addition.

Striking the coin was the only problem early on. The Royal Mint were finding that the collar placed around each coin was prone to weaknesses because of the 12 sharp corners. In order to make the collars last longer, they were modified to have more rounded corners from 1941 onwards.

A hidden message

There is also more of a story behind the original reverse design than meets the eye. The design features a Thrift Plant. An odd choice you may think, but it was actually used as a clever pun at a time when saving money, or being ‘thrifty’,  was heavily encouraged by the government.

Having met with the approval of the public, the coin was readily adopted into the coinage of Queen Elizabeth II, and as the British economy began its recovery after the war, the thrift plant was replaced with a portcullis.

The thrup’nny bit was eventually withdrawn in 1971 after the introduction of decimal coinage which didn’t include Three Pence as a denomination. However, its legacy lives on, and it is still widely regarded as one of the most original and iconic coins in British history.


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