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From: "Dr. Terry S. Walker" <>
Subject: Re: [CHS]Another Gratuitous comment: Ancient Inventory (1611) - Lesson2 = Money
Date: Tue, 29 Nov 2005 14:43:49 -0500
References: <2b2.dcfebb.30bdaa3b@aol.com> <438C5FDF.6030807@sympatico.ca> <021601c5f4fd$499ebc10$0b31e218@mycomputer>


Trena's message reminded me of a coin that had been missed out of the inventory of erstwhile British
coins. A two shilling piece was called a florin, derived I believe, although I expect to be
corrected, from a scandinavian coin or was it dutch, known as a florint. In anticipation I bow my
head before the superior knowledge of others.

Terry
Tern wrote:
>
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Dr. Terry S. Walker"
> To: <>
> Sent: Tuesday, November 29, 2005 9:04 AM
> Subject: Re: [CHS] Gratuitous comment: Ancient Inventory (1611) - Lesson
> 2 = Money
>
>
>> There was also the guinea which was 21 shillings or 1 pound and 1
>> shilling. I believe the guinea was at one time a single coin, I don't
>> know when it ceased to be issued as such but objects, particularly
>> furniture and ornaments, were still priced in guineas up until the
>> decimalization of the currency in the early 1970s. The prize sums for
>> races, especially horse races, were denominated in guineas hence the
>> One and Two Thousand Guineas which as far as I know are still so
>> called today.
>
>
> If I'm recalling correctly, when I went to live in the UK (early 1967)
> the actual Guinea coin was still in use. The ¼p / farthing had been
> discontinued shortly before my arrival, but you could still receive the
> odd one in your returned change. It took me ages to learn the l/s/d
> system and my lessons had begun prior to my arrival in the UK. Thought
> I'd never learn it! Then one day it all clicked into place. For me the
> biggest problems were the various accents, coupled with the 'nicknames'
> each coin had. Each seemed to have at least 3-4 different ways of
> saying what it was, i.e. the 6p = sixpence / tanner / shiner & in some
> circles was referred to as a dime. Throwing a Cockney / Liverpudlian /
> Cornish accent into the mix, you wouldn't believe how 2½d sounded to
> these Canadian ears! I spent several months beforehand trying to learn
> l/s/d only to have the lady in the first shop I entered (alone) tell me
> she wanted a 'joey' for the wee item. No one had told me what a 'joey' was!
>
> Not sure if I'm remembering rightly or not, but think the Crown (5s) was
> referred to as a "dollar" ($1.00), ½ Crown as "½ a dollar" (50¢) and 2s
> peice as a "quarter" (25¢). The $ references were used repeatedly by my
> husband and his mates, an all Royal Navy crowd. Whilst in Canada I
> didn't think anything of it, but when they were still using the terms in
> the UK, it threw me off for awhile.
>
> [Back in Canada mid 1970, at first when I saw something worth say $1.98,
> I automatically thought £1/9/8 ... "Too dear!" Our rent on a 2 bedroom
> flat (RN married quater) was only £2/2/6 when I left, so £1/9/8 was out
> of the question for a bag of sweets or something equally as frivolous.]
>
> Toni ~ Ontario
>
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