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"His salary was ten shillings a week, and the family barely made ends meet."
"With a few pence he bought some bread and cheese and had breakfast."
"If you deliver this letter to the address, you will receive a guinea."

“What is the difference between a pound and a guinea, and how do they relate to crowns, pence and shillings?” - a question arises for any modern reader.

To date, most countries have adopted a decimal monetary system: there is a basic monetary unit, which is equal to a hundred small units. Great Britain switched to the decimal system only in the second half of the twentieth century. The main currency was the pound sterling, the bargaining chip was the penny. From the time of King Charlemagne until recently, there was such confusion in the monetary system that, perhaps, only the British themselves, who were distinguished by accuracy and pedantry in everything, could figure it out.

Let's try and figure it out.

Until 1971, the ratios between monetary units looked like this:

One pound was thus 4 crowns, or 8 half-crowns, or 10 florins, or 20 shillings, or 240 pence, or 960 farthings.

The pound sterling has been the main monetary unit of England since 1694, when the issue of the corresponding banknotes began. However, the word itself appeared much earlier, back in the 12th century. And it meant, oddly enough ... a pound sterling! Sterling was a small silver coin, so small that it was sometimes considered worth its weight.

The sovereign is a gold coin minted since 1489 and equal to 20 shillings. As you can easily see, the sovereign was a coin that corresponded to the paper pound sterling.

Guinea is a gold coin that was first minted in 1663 from gold brought from Guinea. It was valued a little more than a pound and a sovereign. Until recently, if an amount of 21 shillings appeared somewhere in financial calculations, it was automatically renamed into a guinea.

A penny is a small coin that originated in the 8th century. It was first minted from silver, from the end of the 18th century - from copper, and from the second half of the 19th century - from bronze.

In 1849 an attempt was made to bring the monetary system of England to decimal. Then came the florin, equal to one-tenth of a pound. However, nothing has changed, except that another type of coins appeared in the country, which went along with the traditional shillings and crowns.

The inhabitants of Great Britain themselves were not confused in this complex system. On the contrary, there was a certain peculiar convenience in it - the nobility carried out calculations in pounds and guineas and never once held a farthing in their hands, and the poor did not see anything larger than pence and shillings.

In 1966, the British government thought about monetary reform. But to carry out the reform quickly meant to destroy the centuries-old habitual way of English life. Therefore, only 3 years later, in 1969, a 50 pence coin was presented to the inhabitants of Great Britain - the first step towards the decimal system. In 1971, the country officially switched to the decimal system, but until 1982, old and new coins went in parallel. New, "decimal", pence could be distinguished by the inscription "New penny".

In modern English language the word pound is used to denote the amount of money (for example, This car costs 10,000 pounds), and the word sterling is used to distinguish the British currency from the currencies of other countries (The dealer bought sterling and sold US dollars). In colloquial language, the word quid can be used to refer to the same pound sterling.

Shilling- one of the most common and old English coins, it is also called “bean” in another way, and the letter S is used to denote it. Initially, the shilling was an old German monetary unit, and even earlier it was called gold coin era of the early Middle Ages. The word itself comes from the ancient German "to sound".
The first English shilling was minted in 1502, and the last - in 1970. Thus, the history of the English shilling has 468 years! Of course, a coin with such a long history deserves attention and study.

So, the first shilling appeared in the English mint in 1502, during the reign of Henry VII. True, in those distant times the coin was called “testun” (testoon). It weighed 9.33 g and contained 8.68 g of pure silver. It was during the reign of Henry VII that the reverses (the reverse side of the coin is called the reverse side of the coin, on which its denomination or dignity is indicated) of medieval coins were updated: they housed the English coat of arms enclosed in a circle, superimposed on top of a long cross. It should be noted that the testun was not very popular, so the need to issue these coins arose only 42 years later - in 1544, when Henry VIII occupied the throne. This king was very limited in funds and therefore looked for ways to save money. In this regard, the silver content in the testun was reduced from 90 to 40%, and in order to save the weight of the coin, they began to mint it from copper, only covering it with silver on top. On the obverse (this is the name of the front side of the coin, which, as a rule, can depict a portrait of the head of state or a monarch, the state coat of arms) of the coin flaunted a portrait of the king himself, but not in profile, as usual, but full face. Naturally, the coin was erased and, above all, its protruding parts, for example, the nose of the monarch, he showed through the silver. Therefore the king Henry VIII given a nickname.
Testun at that time was minted by three mints (Bristol, Southwark and Tower), but in small quantities.

The coin received its modern name - shilling - during the reign of the next king - Edward VI (1547-1553), son of Henry VIII. The new king commissioned four mints (at Bristol, Canterbury, Durham and London) to mint shillings. In 1549, the oldest dated shilling was minted in London. Its date is indicated by the Roman numerals "MDXLIX". Next year release (MDL) is also common. Like his father, Edward saved on silver, so the quality of shilling minting continued to decline, and even a short-term minting of full-fledged silver at the end of the monarch's reign could not change the deplorable situation.

During the reign queen mary, who replaced Edward on the throne, the history of the shilling could have ended, since the ruler did not print coins of such a denomination in 1553-1554. The minting of shillings resumed in 1554-1555, when the Queen of England allied herself with King Philip II of Spain. On the obverse of the coins of the issue of those years, portraits of both monarchs are depicted, facing each other.


The shilling continued to exist during the reign of the last of the Tudor dynasty. Her name is associated with the dawn of English culture (her contemporaries were William Shakespeare and Francis Bacon) and the strengthening of England's position in the world. The virgin queen made many useful changes for her country, in particular, improved the monetary system, in which her predecessors on the throne showed no interest. With low-quality shillings, it was decided to proceed as follows: not to withdraw them from circulation for the time being, but to reduce the denomination to 4.5 pence, to make an overmark on the coin in the form of a palace lattice and a dog. And then gradually begin to withdraw them from circulation, withdrawing the last old shilling in 1561. In the same year, the first shilling of Queen Elizabeth was minted. These coins were produced in a new way - using a screw press, a new minting technology developed by the Frenchman Eloi Mestrelle. This innovation did not bring popularity to the queen, rather, on the contrary. The fact is that with the use of the new technology of minting coins, traditional mint workers were left without work. They rebelled, and their excitement was transmitted to the masses as a whole. To settle matters, the following was announced in the spring of 1562: six pence to be considered a groat (4 pence), three pence a half-groat, 1½ pence a penny, and three farthings a halfpenny. The shilling was left unchanged.
During the reign of Elizabeth, the weight of a shilling was 6.22 g, and there was 5.75 g of silver in it. In 1562, the minting of the shilling was discontinued. It was returned only 20 years later - in 1582. In the same year, the printing of such denominations as three farthings and threepence was stopped. Elizabethan shillings were printed undated until 1601, when there were minor minting changes.


The shilling became more in demand during the reign of King James I. During his reign, the denomination finally moved into regular production. The portrait of the monarch on the coin changed six times. The coin underwent similar changes during the reign of Charles I. Initially being on the periphery, in the 17th century the shilling moved to the center of technological, political and numismatic events.

In 1631, with the appearance of the Frenchman Nicolas Briot in the English mint, the appearance of the coins changed significantly for the better. The Frenchman developed, as they would now say, the design of machine-made coins. Later, the dies that he made so well were used to produce coins in the traditional way. Four years later, Nicolas Briot went to serve at the Edinburgh Mint as minzmeister (as the head of the mint or its department was called), where he installed a screw press. This Frenchman played a huge role in numismatics in general and in English in particular. Under his leadership, coins were printed and to this day are a masterpiece in coin design. Nicolas Briot made the images on them more concise and strict, removing all unnecessary clutter. This coin design started a new tradition. Schillings from the time of Nicolas Briaud are the most attractive.
Along with the Minzmaster of the Edinburgh Mint, Thomas Bushell, who rented the Welsh silver mines, played an important role in the numismatics of that time. In 1631, with the permission of King Charles I, Thomas Bushell established a mint at Aberyswich. The coins printed in this court are distinguished by the crown of the Prince of Wales crowned with feathers on the obverse.

By the way, starting from 1621 and up to our time, silver for minting coins has been supplied to London from Wales.

What is a shilling? This question was asked by everyone who has ever come across this term. This article will answer this question.

Shilling. Definition

Schilling is a generalized name for a number of metal countries in Western Europe. In the 20th century, the nationalities of some Western European countries also bore this name. It is from the shilling that the name of the coin "Shelyag" came into the Old Russian language.

In some states, the shilling is still used today, in particular in a number of African states that were previously colonially dependent on the British Empire.

Story

On the territory of modern Germany, the shilling began to be used in the XIV century. From the fifteenth century it began to be used in the Kingdom of Denmark and Holland, and in the sixteenth century the shilling entered circulation in England.
The English king in 1502 ordered the minting of the first shilling in the British Isles. Initially, the coin was called "teston". Only under the king did the coin acquire its now familiar name. The British shilling was used in the country until 1971.

In addition to the UK, the shilling was used in Austria (replaced by the euro in 2002). To date, the shilling is used as the official currency in a number of East African states such as Kenya, Somalia, Tanzania and Uganda. They are also joined by the self-proclaimed state of Somaliland.

British shilling. coins

The British shilling is a coin that was used as a bargaining chip in England. People called him "Bob".

One British pound sterling was divided into 20 shillings. In 1971, the shilling, the photo of which you can see above, was replaced by pence. One shilling was equal to 5 pence.

The most common were two (florin) and five (krone) shillings. In addition to metal coins, paper banknotes were also issued in denominations of ten shillings.

Modern shillings. Well

Given the fact that shillings are no longer used in Europe, this article will provide information on the rate used in the modern world. The Kenyan shilling in rubles will be approximately 0.55, respectively, for one ruble you will receive about 1.8 KES. Compared to the dollar, the Kenyan shilling exchange rate will be about $ 0.01, that is, for one US dollar you will receive about 103 KES.

The situation is completely different with the quotation of the Tanzanian shilling, which is estimated at approximately $ 0.0004, that is, for one dollar you will be given about 2,200 TZS. One Russian ruble is valued approximately at 40 Tanzanian shillings.

Approximately 0.01 Russian ruble is worth the Somali shilling, therefore, for one ruble they give about ten SOS. One American dollar contains about five hundred and eighty SOS. In dollars, one Somali shilling is approximately $0.002.

One of them is the Ugandan shilling, the value of which is estimated at approximately 0.0003 US dollars, that is, for one dollar you will get as much as 3600-3700 UGX! One Russian ruble can be exchanged for about 63-63 UGX, and for one Ugandan shilling you will be given no more than 0.02 rubles.

Such a low rate of African shillings is associated with the extreme poverty of the states where these monetary units are used. Three out of four countries (Tanzania, Uganda, Somalia) are among the countries with the lowest per capita income, and Kenya, although it looks more prosperous compared to its neighbors, is still a poor state. The difficult political situation, crime, an underdeveloped economy and almost universal poverty have an extremely negative impact on the value of the national currency.

Exchange operations. Collecting

All copies of Western European shillings, which were relatively recently used in different countries of Europe, now represent only a collection and cultural value. However, numismatists and bonists from all over the world are happy to acquire shillings for their collection.

The cost of shillings on the collectors' market is formed due to many factors: the year of minting or printing, the country of existence, the denomination, the degree of preservation, the mint, etc.

The situation with modern shillings, that is, African ones, is completely different. Not only are collectors unwilling to acquire them, but even residents of those countries where they are in official circulation are not particularly eager to receive their currency. They are much more attracted by the opportunity to receive foreign money: dollars, euros, British pounds, etc. This is due to the fact that local currencies are very cheap and constantly depreciate, so receiving payment in national currency is not only unprofitable, but also risky, because the devaluation of the state currency can happen at any moment.

Therefore, if you decide to come to countries where this money is used, then you need to know what shillings are. In these countries, you can easily exchange dollars, euros, pounds and almost any other currency. Moreover, this can be done both in official financial organizations and with local moneylenders, who often exchange at a more favorable rate right on the street.

Conclusion

So what is a shilling? This is the name of the banknotes used by different countries in different historical periods.

Shillings are so different that they have only the name and origin in common. Therefore, before answering the question: "What is a shilling?", It is necessary to clarify which country's shilling and in what historical period is meant.

November 21st, 2015 02:26 am

Do you know what I like most about movies about knights, musketeers and so on? That there is no money there. Or rather, there is money, of course, but they always lie in purses-bags.

« ". The traveler throws a bag of coins on the table, the innkeeper nods his head and makes a sign to the freckled girl to bring beer.

Or like this:

« Take this as a deposit". The knight throws a bag of coins on the ground. " When it's over, you'll get more". The mercenary picks up a purse from the ground and, satisfied, leaves.

By the way, it is very important that the bags are most often thrown in order, probably, to emphasize the importance of the act of transferring funds. " Find me a good stallion in the next village. Here's the money". The purse thrown on the table loudly rings with its contents, which undoubtedly enhances the solemnity of the moment.

In general, this sketch could have started differently. For example, like this: in England, everything is not like people. Showed the fig to the Pope and created a national church; the king was executed first; arranged for themselves a constitutional monarchy, pushing the monarch into the background; left-hand traffic and ... money. Yes, yes, money. The British were the last to switch to the decimal system - only in 1971, which often infuriated those who visited Albion before that date. For example, in Russia, the decimal system has existed almost since XIII century. That is, from the moment the ruble appeared in the country, which was an elongated silver bar weighing about 200 grams.

Novgorod hryvnia. From the 13th century, the name ruble began to be used to designate these monetary units.

Sherlock Holmes: " Stop! Stop. Stop. Church of Saint Monica. Half a sovereign if you take 20 minutes».

A scene from the film The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson. Treasures of Agra»

Guinea 1686

A scene from the film The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson. Treasures of Agra»

Ian Mortimer in his book The Time Traveler's Guide to Medieval England gives a good example. AT XIV century, a carpenter for making a table received as much money as the cost of the nails needed to make this table 3 . Try now to offer the master to work for a day for a handful of nails. At best, he will say that you do not respect other people's work. And at worst, he will laugh in your eyes and send you to hell. However, one should not think that XIV century, the work of a professional was not appreciated. Just the production of nails required much more resources than now: material, labor, time, and so on.

At the end of the XVI century (200 years after the table story), a worker received somewhere around 4d a day, and in our time the salary of a worker is about 100 pounds (although, of course, a lot depends on the specialty, qualifications and company). That is 6000 times more. At the same time, a chicken in the Elizabethan era cost the same 4 pence 2 (a worker's daily income), and now you will pay 5 pounds (1/20 of a worker's daily income) for a package of chicken fillet (700 gr.). So, given these nuances, it is rather difficult to draw a parallel.

In XIX century wages have risen, but prices have not stood still. For example, in the 1860s, an ordinary hard worker received 3 shillings 9 pence a day, an artisan (carpenter, bricklayer) - 6 shillings 6 pence, and an engineer - 7 shillings 6 pence 4 . Representatives of the middle class (doctors, lawyers, office workers) naturally earned more. Their annual income ranged from 300 to 500 pounds. And teachers of the highest, so to speak, category and journalists received from 150 to 300 pounds a year. However, a loaf of bread at that time cost 7d, a pint of beer in a pub - from 3 to 8d (ordinary people spent up to a fifth of their income on drinking), a pair of rough boots - 11s, a shirt - 1s 4d, socks - 9 pence. A well-worn coat could be purchased for 4 shillings. A London cab ride cost 6d a mile.

Cab, London, 19th century

In a word, the English for the most part lived with their belts tightened. And in particular, our dear Dr. Watson, who retired from the army with a pension of 11s 6d a day*. Although his father was obviously wealthy, since he could afford a watch for 50 guineas, which, as you know, first passed to the eldest son, and then to the great detective's faithful companion.

A scene from the film The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson. Treasures of Agra»

1 http://www. russian - money. ru/History. aspx? type=content&id=1#label
2 The Time Traveler's Guide to Elizabethan England. Ian Mortimer
3 The Time Traveler's Guide to Medieval England. Ian Mortimer
4 The Spirit of the Age: Victorian Essays. Edited by Gertrude Himmelfarb. Yale University Press
5 Daily Life in Victorian England. Sally Mitchell