English Currency
 

Is all English currency now expressed in pence and pounds or are there still shillings,half penny etc?

Hermit:

You're kidding aren't you.

No more shillings, farthings, etc. Great Britain's currency went decimal roughly 20 years ago.

xyz, I don't think they're kidding -- you'll recall mamy recent posts that asked whether Britain used euros -- at least this poster has them still using pounds!

sorry, mamy --> many

Gee, now I got to wondering exactly when the change happened, and found this, I was off by a decade:

There were notes for ten shillings, a pound, five pounds and ten pounds. The farthing was abolished in January 1961, and the rest of the coins were phased out before, during or after D-Day (decimal day - 15 February 1971). Some of the silver continued after D-Day as they had values in the new currency. A shilling became 5p and a florin became 10p. The new coins were 1/2p, 1p, 2p, 5p, 10p and 50p (where the 50p replaced the ten shilling note). The other coins (20p, £1, £2) have been introduced since, and the 1/2p abolished.

Good research, Anonymous.
We owe you 5 guineas.

and a groat or two

Speaking of fourpence, I bet you didn't know that Maundy coins of fourpence, threepence, twopence and one penny are still produced annually, for presentation in the Maundy ceremony. Some traditions simply must be preserved.

english pounds come in denominations of Lady Godivas, Cockles, Ponies, McGarrets, Tons, carpets, Monkeys and archers.

There are twenty tons in an Archer.

It's easy once you get the hang of it.

Ok Davidwest. Now you are trying to confuse me.

they're slang terms:

quid or sov = £1

Lady Godiva = fiver = £5

Cock and hen = £10

Score = £20

Pony = £25

McGarrett or Bullseye = £50

Ton = £100

Carpet = £300

Monkey =£500

Grand =£1000

Archer =£2000

Good definitions. Most of these are fairly old and well known. The more recent are the MaGarrett ( Steve McGarrett - Hawaii 50) and Archer (Lord Jeffery Archer was known to have passed a bribe of £2000 to a known prostitute).

And some of those are very ephemeral slang. Score, pony, ton and grand are fairly well established, but I've never heard of some of the rest (McGarrett?! Is this something to do with the Wild West?). And an Archer is either now worth nothing or substantially more than £2000 - whatever it was he had to repay the newspaper in question on top of what he paid the lady (don't ask, it's all very tedious).

McGarret is from steve McGarret of hawaii 5-0

I still tote around a 10/ note with a picture of Mrs. Q when she was a babe. Lord, we're getting old...

gawd belss ya govnr
I left a godiva in me lionels!"

I am starting my own Cockney rhymes

"he's gone 'ERTZ" = mental

( as in..Hertz Car Rental )

"Radio" is the word your looking for (Radio rentals). Or possibly Dagenham - two stops past Barking.

and that's the babe ruth.

Nah, it doesn't work if you have to use the bit that actually rhymes. It's supposed to be a code doncha know..

Where is Ben Haines in all this. Don't tell me he has Trouble in Strife.