Small coin of England. British coins: walker of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
In this article, I would like to talk about such a very interesting topic as the British token coin. Actually, I want to say that I just love being in England. This is probably one of my favorite countries. There are so many interesting things here that it is better to plan the route in advance in order to have time to visit everything and take a closer look. Having come here once, I can confidently say that I will never forget this country. Therefore, whoever gathers, one day here on their next trip, it will be useful for him to know about the token of Great Britain, and, of course, about those that are used there.
So, such a coin is a penny, and sometimes called a penny, from the English language . And from French - cattle, from Irish - pingin, from Finnish and Estonian - also pennies. This is one of those monetary units, which is a change, and in many countries and in various territories, which were once part of the composition that belonged to the British Empire. But the empires of Finland and the Republic of Estonia were also brought here.
The penny is the currency of Great Britain
But I want to note the fact that the most famous is the one that belongs to the British. At the time when the farthing was active, it was about one-fourth of the penalty itself. Few people know that the word "penis" itself has a common root, and with pfening, which refers to German, directly.
british penny- was originally English, and only then a British coin. Until February 1971, a penny was about 1⁄13 shillings. I want to note that, with the exception of the penalty, it was a kind of everyday name for coins in several countries of the world. in which the official language is English, namely, in Canada and the United States of America, the official name of the monetary currency is the cent.
And it is known from history that peni, as well as pfening, were published in order to imitate the denarius, which belonged to the Roman. Based on this, their very first symbolism was the letter of the Latin alphabet, which was the very first in the name "denar". And it is clear that the symbol was the letter "d".
After decimal currency was introduced in the UK, namely, in 1972, the penalty began to be quoted with a peculiar letter “p”. And yet, the symbol that belonged to the German pfening has ceased to be active since the end of the 20th century. As you have noticed, the history of monetary currencies, and especially Great Britain, is very interesting. You just need to be interested in it and learn more and more all kinds of artifacts and historical information on a particular event.
By the way, the same peni that belongs to Finnish, was a currency, and a change in the country, before that great event, when the EURO currency was introduced, it was equal to about 1⁄101 of the Finnish category. With the same success, there was also a monetary exchange currency that belonged to the Republic of Estonia, relating to the periods 1920-1929, which was about 1⁄90 of the Estonian category.
In principle, the history that concerns all monetary fiat currencies of most countries of the world is very well known. And since those times, it has been making a certain necessity in the country's economy. After all, if it were not for the events that took place at that time, it is not known at what level the financial environment of Great Britain was. Now you know everything about the change in this country and about money, so you can safely go to the UK.
The United Kingdom is strongly traditional. The rules seem unshakable, the laws are written as if until the end of time. Therefore, it is not surprising that Great Britain clung to the historically established monetary system to the last, different from most states of the twentieth century. A shilling was collected from a dozen pence, and a pound sterling was collected from two dozen shillings. In reality, the situation was even more complicated, since more than a dozen coins with various names functioned, where the largest (guinea) was equal to one thousand and eight of the smallest (farthings). It was difficult for lovers of English novels to understand how a grout differs from a sovereign, and why those who went to Great Britain in the late 60s could not bring a sovereign. The inconvenience of the number system created problems for financiers in the markets, which prompted them to change the number system. Moreover, countries such as Australia and Canada, having retained the portrait of the English queen on the obverse, switched from the pound sterling to the more convenient dollar as a national means of payment. Despite the short period that has passed since "Decimal Day", the British weather catalog has already gained significant thickness and volume.
British penny
February 1971 thinned out the detachment of monetary units, leaving only the pound sterling and its hundred change pence in service. In a number of currencies of the leading countries of the capitalist world, the pound sterling was one of the most significant units, so it is not surprising that the smallest coin was not a penny, but a halfpenny. But inflation also undermines the strongest currencies, so halfpenny is no longer found in the modern coin range. The penny is the smallest of the British coins.
The pedigree of a penny must be traced back to the monetary units that the Germanic tribes brought to the territory of modern Great Britain. Historians argue that the forerunner of singing will be the skete, which industriously performed the role of local money in the seventh century. The birth of the penny occurred in the eighth century, and it gradually became a more popular coin than the skete, which lasted until the early ninth century. The first penny is silver coin. Only centuries later they began to mint it from copper, and later from bronze.
Since 1985, the penny has been the smallest coin in the UK. It should be noted that in the period from 1971 to 1981, the word "NEW" was minted next to the name of the denomination on the coins so that they would not be confused with pre-decimal coins. Of course, the coins were strikingly different in appearance. It is difficult to confuse a pre-reform penny with a diameter of 30.72 millimeters with a new penny that has shrunk one and a half times (20.3 millimeters). The Bank of England considered that a ten-year period was enough for the inhabitants of the United Kingdom to get used to the new money, so since 1982 the word "NEW" has been replaced by the capital value of the face value ("ONE PENNY").
Since 1992, there has been a reduction in the cost of issuing coins, when the monolithic bronze of the penny and twopenny coins was replaced by a copper-plated steel core. In order not to rebuild vending machines that react to weight, the new generation of coins had to be made thicker.
The design of the reverse is symbolically associated with the number "1". There is a lattice of fortress gates topped with a crown. This was the emblem of the first king in the Tudor dynasty, Henry the Seventh. A cardinal change in the design of the reverse of British coins took place in 2008. It was decided to leave unchanged only the largest of the denominations. For the rest, the work of Matthew Dent, who won the competition, was used with an interesting idea, when fragments of the Royal Shield are placed on the reverse. And the owner of a coin range from singing to fifty pence will be able to make an image of this shield from coins.
two pence
If one is a penny, then all other denominations are pence. Although our modern language allows the phrase "one penny", seeing this for a classic is the same as reading "hare", parachute" or "one coffee" brought up by a good Russian teacher. Accordingly, "two pennies" are two coins one at a time. pennies. And if the coin is one - it's already "two pence". The date of birth of the modern version of two pence is February 15, 1971. It was then that the Royal Mint put this coin into circulation, completing the campaign to switch to the decimal system. bronze, but since 1992 it has been a steel coin (93%) covered with copper (7%) Connoisseurs, however, pay attention to the fact of the existence of a bronze coin and later years of issue (in the catalogs for this variety, the letter "a" is added to the main number ), which was issued to form collection sets, which included coins of "PROOF" quality.
There are many interesting stories associated with this coin. Let's take a look at the original reverse. What's with the crown of feathers? It turns out that when the denomination was put into circulation, it was planned to mint the coat of arms of Northern Ireland there. But the end of the 60s is an extremely turbulent period for Northern Ireland. Fresh in the memory of Belfast. There are armed clashes. Troops have been brought in, but skeptics are shaking their heads that Northern Ireland will soon leave the United Kingdom. Therefore, at the last moment, a decision was made: on the reverse of two pence to place a diadem decorated with ostrich feathers - the coat of arms of the Prince of Wales. The decision turned out to be clear. In 1972, the government of Northern Ireland was dissolved, and the emblem of Northern Ireland was deprived of official status.
The period of coins with the prefix "NEW" ends in 1981, and only for two pence it is unexpectedly extended until 1983 in a number of catalogs. The fault here is no longer politics, but junctions. In 1983, for the minting of a small part of the circulation, an outdated stamp was mistakenly placed, where the former "NEW" flaunted instead of the prescribed "TWO". UK weather collectors appreciate this mistake, so "NEW PENCE" 1983 are already trading with totals of several thousand pounds.
Note the fact that the packaging of two pence in bank packages is carried out in amounts equal to one pound. But hurry with this package to retail outlets. The plans of fans to upset cashiers by counting change from piggy banks in the UK will be severely overthrown. It turns out that for some denominations, amounts are legally established within which they are a means of payment. For the one penny and two pence coins, this amount is only twenty pence. If numismatists divide the periods of pre-reform coins of the USSR according to the number of ribbons in the coat of arms of the Soviet state, then for the coins of the countries of the Commonwealth of the British Crown, the dividing line is the change in the portrait of the ruling monarch. In Great Britain, the portrait has been changed three times so far. Note that the original version was created by Arnold Machin. From 1985 to 1997, Elizabeth II is depicted according to a portrait by Raphael McLough, and since 1998, the obverse of the coins has been decorated with a portrait by Ian Rank-Broadley. The obverse is the same for all coins of the Commonwealth of the British Crown, which includes such significant countries as Australia and Canada.
Five pence (UK)
And this is the pioneer of monetary reform, the purpose of which was the introduction of the decimal system. It is believed that she came to replace the shilling. There is a sense in this, since both the shilling and the new fivepence make up a twentieth of a pound sterling. The launch of the fivepence into circulation took place on April 23, 1968. Until 1971, these coins had to both saturate the circulation and become familiar, so that the rejection of the shilling did not seem like a national tragedy. Note that the shilling finally left circulation only by 1990. During the "decimal" period, the existence of the fivepence managed to change significantly. It originally weighed 5.65 grams and was 23.59 millimeters in diameter. But as soon as the shilling was gone, the fivepence dwindled to eighteen millimeters in diameter, and thinned to three and a quarter grams. Since 2012, copper-nickel for blanks has given way to nickel-plated steel. Since 2008, the reverse of five pence has become the central fragment of the overall composition. It is on it that there is a common point where all four coats of arms converge.
Ten pence (UK)
Paired with five pence coins of this denomination were the advanced detachments in preparation for the introduction of the decimal system. They also appeared in circulation on April 23, 1968. A tenpence weighing 11.31 grams and 28.5 millimeters in diameter was to take the baton from the florin (two-shilling denomination). The florin itself remained in circulation and existed for almost a quarter of a century, until July 1, 1993. From the same moment, even ten pence change dimensions, having noticeably decreased (weight - 6.5 grams and diameter - 24.5 millimeters). Both five and ten pence of the old sizes are withdrawn from circulation along with shillings and florins. A gigantic one and a half billion circulation, minted in 1992, was intended to replace the coins of the previous sample. However, with the date "1992" there are coins of both types. Nickel silver, familiar to us from the pre-reform USSR, was the material for blanks until 2012. Since January 2012, ten cents have been issued in nickel-plated steel. Modern ten pence are similar in size to American quarters.
Twenty pence (UK)
A decade of circulation of new coins has shown the inconvenience of an empty gap between denominations of ten and fifty cents. To fill it is the calling of the new denomination put into circulation on June 9, 1982. Copper-nickel blanks differ from other denominations in the form of an increased copper content (84% versus 75%). The coin borrowed the shape from the "fifty dollars" - the same Reuleaux heptagon. This form is designed to separate it by touch from other denominations (it cannot be confused with a fifty pence because of the difference in dimensions).
2008 gave numismatists interesting crossroads. Since this year, fragments of the English and Scottish lions have been minted on the reverse. But the fact is that on the coins of the previous issue, the minting date was located on the reverse, while the new design does not imply this. Date safely moves to the obverse. But chance interferes with the matter: an insignificant part of the circulation is minted with an old-style stamp. As a result The date is missing on both the reverse and the obverse.. Experts estimate that the circulation of the mix-ups was less than a quarter of a million. And they all went into circulation. So catching an undated twentypence would be a big hit.
Note that in the "decimal" period there was also a denomination twenty five new pence. But it was the minting of exclusively commemorative coins in 1972, 1977, 1980 and 1981. Since 1982, the task of this denomination was transferred to the twentypence.
Fifty pence (UK)
On October 14, 1969, a fifty-pence coin was put into circulation to help the five- and tenpence denominations. This is the first coin to have the shape of a Reuleaux heptagon. In the mathematical description of this heptagon, we can read the following properties of it: "The sides are not straight, but curved so that the center of curvature is at the opposite vertex of the coin." Numismatists explain not so intricately: "The coin does not have a fixed radius from any point, but it has a fixed diameter and a minimum size along the edge of the coin." The original reverse of the coin featured a portrait of a proudly seated woman with a lion peeking out from behind. This is Britain - an analogue of the American Lady Liberty and the French Marianne. In fact, this is the only surviving portrait of Britain on a weather card after the transition to the decimal system. But the work of Christopher Ironside had to become a thing of the past. Since 2008, according to the design of Matthew Dent, the lower part of the Royal Shield has been minted on the reverse.
One pound sterling
It seemed that the era in which the pound sterling would appear not as a banknote, but as a coin, would never come. But time changes everything. Inflation undermined the British pound, and by the beginning of the eighties it became clear that it was more profitable to present this denomination in circulation as a coin. The launch of the minting of the pound was announced in the summer of 1981. Really everyday coins appeared on April 21, 1983. A solid denomination differed sharply from pence in its impressive weight (only half a gram was not enough to ten) and color (yellow tint is provided by a fourth share of zinc in the total alloy of the coin). The obverse, as usual, occupies a portrait of the queen. The reverse is extremely difficult to describe, since it is not a constant. Every year it changes. If in the first year of issue the state emblem flaunted there, then after the reverse they presented symbols representing the constituent parts of the United Kingdom. First, flowers were involved, then heraldry, followed by famous bridges, and after that - the emblems of the capitals. However, the plant theme was resumed. As conceived by Matthew Dent since 2008, it is on the reverse of the pound sterling that the Royal coat of arms is placed in its entirety.
But then came the year 2017, and the Royal Mint transformed the round pound coins into a silver-gold dodecahedron, updating the portrait of the Queen and replacing the design on the back. New trends are primarily aimed at protecting against fakes, which already account for three percent of the total number of coins of this denomination in circulation. The updated pound sterling will become the most secure coin in the world. The reverse includes the union of the four parts of the British Empire in the form of four plants on one field. This version won the competition, and the competition was won by David Pierce, who by that time was only fifteen. "The Mint produces four thousand coins per minute," the British media are enthusiastically broadcasting. The old round-shaped pound will very soon lose the status of a means of payment and leave circulation.
Two pounds sterling
The denomination of two pounds found the beginning of a glorious journey in three forms of a commemorative coin. At the same time, two-pound coins with a diameter of 28.4 millimeters and a weight of 15.98 grams were issued from an alloy of nickel and brass, from 925 silver and 917 gold. Looking at the thistle, it is difficult to understand why this coin is included in the "Sport" category. It turns out this is not a bug. Before us is not just a symbol of one of the parts of the United Kingdom, but the emblem of the XII Commonwealth Games, which were held in Scotland in 1986.
The researchers observed the circulation of this denomination. Based on the results of their work, it was decided, in addition to commemorative coins, to introduce a regular one of the same denomination. However, the regular version had a significant difference - it became the first representative of the bimetal in the UK. The outer ring consists of a triple alloy (76% copper, 20% zinc, and 4% nickel). The inner ring became cupronickel. The coin is heavy - twelve grams with a diameter of 28.4 millimeters. The launch of the coin into circulation took place on June 15, 1998. An interesting fact is that coins with the date "1997" came into circulation, on which Elizabeth II was performed by Raphael McLough. The 1998 and later coins have a portrait of the Queen by Ian Rank-Broadley.
Its creator Bruce Rushin explained the complex reverse design as follows: we see the transition from the Iron Age, which symbolizes the outer ring, to the age of the Internet and new technologies. If you look closely, we see in the center the coordinated work of nineteen gear rings. According to the laws of mechanics, such a device could not function due to an odd number of gears. But this, apparently, did not bother Bruce Rushin at all. Between the gears and the outer ring, we observe a pattern created by fragments of printed circuit boards.
In circulation, we can also see five-pound coins. But they already belong to the "commemorative" category, so we will talk about them in the following articles.
Latest auction prices for coins in Russian rubles
| Photo | Description of the coin | G | VG | F | VF | XF | AU | UNC | proof |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 pound (pound) 2016 UK round | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 1 pound (pound) 2016 new UK new (12-coal), no sign | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2 pounds (pounds) 2001 UK from 244 to 287 rubles. | - | - | - | - | 244 | - | 287 | - | |
| 2 pounds (pounds) 1997 UK from 276 to 323 rubles. | - | - | - | - | 276 | - | 323 | - |
| 2 pounds (pounds) 1998 UK from 161 to 1,155 rubles. | - | - | - | 203 | 161 | 195 | 373 | 1 155 | |
The topic of English coins is so multifaceted and confusing that to understand all the "farthings", "pence", "pennies", "shillings", "pounds", as well as "guineas", "florins" and other silver-gold-copper products, called money, is quite difficult.
The very first British coins were minted already in the XIV century during the reign of the Plantagenet dynasty under Kings Edward III and Richard II. The gold coins, which were called florin, half florin and quarter florin, had the image of a leopard on one side and a cross on the other. Due to the fact that the coins did not correspond to their denominations, they were soon melted down to issue a gold noble. In addition to the main coin, which was equated to 80 pence, full-blends were issued, i.e. 40 pence, and a quarter noble - 20 pence.
The first coins were quite heavy, so after a while the Plantagenet dynasty again thought about new money and minted a Noble, which was 1.2 grams lighter than the previous one. The noble depicted a king with a sword on a ship, which held a shield in his hands, and on the other side of the coin the initials of the king were minted.
It was this Noble that became the most popular coin, which was in demand not only in Great Britain, but also in Rus' and the Commonwealth, acquiring the name "shipman".
The Plantagenet dynasty was replaced by the Lancaster dynasty, during which Henrys IV, V and VI ruled. At this time, the value of gold was growing inexorably, and Henry IV decided to reduce the amount of precious metals by 10% and 16% in gold and silver coins.
Further in the history of Great Britain, the York dynasty dominated. King Edward IV again reduced the gold content of the coins. However, despite this, the value of the noble in silver coins increased and amounted to 100 pence. The former denominations were melted down, resulting in "raiol" or "rosenoble", which was not popular, and soon their issue was discontinued. But the "angel", released in 1461, to this day is of great value to numismatists.
We will talk about the Tudor and Stuart dynasties, as well as the Hanoverian and Windsor dynasties next time, and now we will study English coins, the names of which should be known to everyone who studies the language of the Queen of Great Britain.
Money has a name money and everyone knows it. The coin is called coin or “piece of money”. The obverse, or front part of the coin, has a similar name in English - "obverse", the reverse side is called the reverse - "reverse". There is also an edge of a coin, which numismatists call “edge” - “milled edge of coin”.
Sterling(sterling) - English silver coin
one pound ( pounds) consists of 100 pence ( pence).
One penny - 1 penny
Two pence - 2 pence
Five pence - 5 pence(colloquial name - five p)
Ten pence - 10pence (tenp)
twenty pence - 20pence (twentyp)
Fifty pence - 50pence (fiftyp)
One pound - 1 pounds
Two pounds - 2 pounds
A token coin is called by different names. You can use any word or phrase you like.
- change
- base coin
- small coin
- subsidiary coin
- token coin
The coin in circulation is called current coin, but only the issued shiny coin is proudly called mint coin. Adjective mint means “new, just released; not used”, but the verb “to mint” is translated by the word “to mint”. There is also the noun “mint”, which means “mint”.
Learn English and you can earn a pretty penny!
