I thought that a shilling was 5p for purposes of decimal conversion? So still 20 shillings to the pound?
Lorne: Once the word spreads you beat up an innocent old man, well, the truly terrible will think twice before going toe-to-toe with our Avenging Angel. Spike: Yes. The geriatric community will be soiling their nappies when they hear you're on the case. Bravo.
'The Cautionary Tale of Numero Cinco'
All Ogle, No Cash -- It's Not Just Annoying, It's Un-American
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amych - Jul 09, 2003 6:25:49 am PDT #5564 of 9843
Now let us crush something soft and watch it fountain blood. That is a girlish thing to want to do, yes?
Jim - Jul 09, 2003 6:27:19 am PDT #5565 of 9843
Ficht nicht mit Der Raketemensch!
See my post, amych. I was talking rubbish, mislead because (deep breath) they changed the size of the 5p in the mid-80s, and brought out the 20p. So the 20p is now the size of the old 5p, which was interchangeable with the Shilling.
amych - Jul 09, 2003 6:28:30 am PDT #5566 of 9843
Now let us crush something soft and watch it fountain blood. That is a girlish thing to want to do, yes?
I think we x-posted, Jim. No worries.
Betsy HP - Jul 09, 2003 6:29:47 am PDT #5567 of 9843
If I only had a brain...
I remember how much it confused me when I was reading E. Nesbit. And some time in my childhood I ordered a wooden doll from Pollack's and did my best to convert U.S. dollars to L.s.D and got it all wrong.
Nilly - Jul 09, 2003 6:30:51 am PDT #5568 of 9843
Swouncing
A pound was twenty shillings (a guinea twenty-one)
That was the one that always confused me the most, especially when reading Edith Nesbit, because until I finally could come around to a guinea having pretty much the same value of a pound, it didn't.
[Edit: E. Nesbit x-post with Betsy, at least I was in good company]
Angus G - Jul 09, 2003 6:31:17 am PDT #5569 of 9843
Roguish Laird
And in Australia, when we decimalised our old pound turned into two dollars, so for us 1 shilling = 10 cents.
Jim - Jul 09, 2003 6:31:24 am PDT #5570 of 9843
Ficht nicht mit Der Raketemensch!
Props for mentioning E Nesbit. My favourite author as a child (along with Ransome).
Betsy HP - Jul 09, 2003 6:40:00 am PDT #5571 of 9843
If I only had a brain...
Also props for mentioning poor old Planty Pal.
moonlit - Jul 09, 2003 7:00:32 am PDT #5572 of 9843
"When the world's run by fools it's the duty of intelligence to disobey." Martin Firrell
In Aus we also had a Florin which equalled 20 pence.
We had ha'penny, penny, threepence, sixpence, shilling, florin, and a crown, which equalled 5 shillings.
Nutty - Jul 09, 2003 7:07:26 am PDT #5573 of 9843
"Mister Spock is on his fanny, sir. Reports heavy damage."
So, okay, it was the bobs and crowns and guineas that I couldn't figure out. Why was there both a pound and a guinea, if they were so close in value? Was one the elder, and on its way out, while the other was on its way in? Especially considering the guinea works with odd/prime factors like 3 and 7, while the pound is a nice, likeable 2x2x5 nominator.
I mean, if you're gonna have money, have conveniently mathy money! Good, even fractions!
(M-W explains the "guinea" connection -- gold, Africa, vague, hand-wavy etymological link -- but not the logic of settling a divisible currency at an odd number.)