# In Britain, what's the difference between a pound and a guinea? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [April 1, 2012, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-britain-whats-the-difference-between-a-pound-and-a-guinea/617481 "2012-04-01T15:15:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![TMStone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@TMStone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TMStone)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2012, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-britain-whats-the-difference-between-a-pound-and-a-guinea/617481/1 "2012-04-01T15:15:06Z")
I was living in the UK around the time that you wrote this article and I assure you that the tuppence and half-penny were still in use. The half-penny has now gone the way of the guinea - just like the Canadian penny will soon. We also called (and as far as I know still do) the 5 pence coin a shilling (although admittedly it tends to be the older folk that use that phrase) With a nod to the genius that is Cecil, perhaps the coins I remember were decimal equivalents…hey but we still called them the shilling, tuppence and half-penny. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2012, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-britain-whats-the-difference-between-a-pound-and-a-guinea/617481/2 "2012-04-01T15:27:27Z")
Never mind. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2012, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-britain-whats-the-difference-between-a-pound-and-a-guinea/617481/3 "2012-04-01T15:27:35Z")
I was living in Britain long before [the article](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/300/in-britain-whats-the-difference-between-a-pound-and-a-guinea) was written, and I remember farthings, ha’pennies, pennies, three-penny bits and six-penny bits – but there were no two-penny coins in circulation. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2012, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-britain-whats-the-difference-between-a-pound-and-a-guinea/617481/4 "2012-04-01T15:31:24Z")
> [@Giles](#): > > I was living in Britain long before [the article](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/300/in-britain-whats-the-difference-between-a-pound-and-a-guinea) was written, and I remember farthings, ha’pennies, pennies, three-penny bits and six-penny bits – but there were no two-penny coins in circulation. > **[Two pence (British decimal coin)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two_pence_%28British_decimal_coin%29)** > > The British decimal two pence coin (often shortened to 2p in writing and speech) is a denomination of sterling coinage equalling .mw-parser-output .frac{white-space:nowrap}.mw-parser-output .frac .num,.mw-parser-output .frac .den{font-size:80%;line-height:0;vertical-align:super}.mw-parser-output .frac .den{vertical-align:sub}.mw-parser-output .sr-only{border:0;clip:rect(0,0,0,0);clip-path:polygon(0px 0px,0px 0px,0px 0px);height:1px;margin:-1px;overflow:hidden;padding:0;position:absolute;width:1px... ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2012, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-britain-whats-the-difference-between-a-pound-and-a-guinea/617481/5 "2012-04-01T15:35:58Z")
By 1977 the coins you remember would indeed have been the decimal equivalents, but they haven’t been called by the names you use for decades. E.g. the 1/2p piece died in the early 1980s, and at the time of its demise wasn’t popularly called the “halfpenny” (“ha’penny”). I do remember a time in the 1970s when the 10p coin was very occasionally called the “florin” by a few old-timers. But those terms died out decades ago. “Tuppenny bits” is still occasionally used as rhyming slang to refer to the female boobage though. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2012, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-britain-whats-the-difference-between-a-pound-and-a-guinea/617481/6 "2012-04-01T15:36:29Z")
> [@An\_Gadai](#): > > [Two pence (British decimal coin) - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two_pence_%28British_decimal_coin%29) Yes, I’ve seen those – I was talking about two-penny coins, before decimalisation. 2p coins exist, 2d coins did not exist. ---
**Author:** ![John\_W.Kennedy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_w.kennedy/32/1031_2.png) [@John\_W.Kennedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_W.Kennedy)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2012, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-britain-whats-the-difference-between-a-pound-and-a-guinea/617481/7 "2012-04-02T04:33:53Z")
2d coins didn’t exist recently, though they existed a long time ago. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2012, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-britain-whats-the-difference-between-a-pound-and-a-guinea/617481/8 "2012-04-02T04:42:20Z")
If you cheat and include Maundy coins, there were 2d coins being minted made up until decimalisation (when their face value was increased retroactively and they became 2p coins). ---
**Author:** ![Pushkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2012, 8:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-britain-whats-the-difference-between-a-pound-and-a-guinea/617481/9 "2012-04-06T08:25:45Z")
> [@TMStone](#): > > With a nod to the genius that is Cecil, perhaps the coins I remember were decimal equivalents…hey but we still called them the shilling, tuppence and half-penny. Remembering my childhood in the 80s, there were coins that were not stamped out as decimal 5p coins, but were the same size and value in shops. Checking [Wikipedia](http://goo.gl/UH4Az), it turns out those were shilling pieces and it took till 1991 to get rid of them. Strange relic to leave around. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2012, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-britain-whats-the-difference-between-a-pound-and-a-guinea/617481/10 "2012-04-06T13:30:10Z")
> [@Pushkin](#): > > Strange relic to leave around. I suppose it both helped the transition, with the decimal 5p piece doing the job of a shilling for a couple of years prior to full decimalisation, and kept the costs down. (same with the florin/10p) I remember the sixpence doing duty as a 2 1/2 p piece when I was a kid. Wiki says they remained so until 1980, but I’m sure they had mostly disappeared by then. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2012, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-britain-whats-the-difference-between-a-pound-and-a-guinea/617481/11 "2012-04-06T14:29:09Z")
> [@Pushkin](#): > > Remembering my childhood in the 80s, there were coins that were not stamped out as decimal 5p coins, but were the same size and value in shops. Checking > [Wikipedia](http://goo.gl/UH4Az), it turns out those were shilling pieces and it took till 1991 to get rid of them. Strange relic to leave around. There would still be some in circulation now, I reckon - the only reason they went in 1991 is that the 10p and 5p (and 50p) coins were redesigned and issued as scaled-down versions of themselves. I’ve still got some florins and shillings in a box of assorted coins in my cupboard - they’re quite beautifully ornate in design - I wish they would issue a similarly designed modern coin set as a tribute. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2012, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-britain-whats-the-difference-between-a-pound-and-a-guinea/617481/12 "2012-04-06T15:53:20Z")
> [@Pushkin](#): > > Remembering my childhood in the 80s, there were coins that were not stamped out as decimal 5p coins, but were the same size and value in shops. Checking > [Wikipedia](http://goo.gl/UH4Az), it turns out those were shilling pieces and it took till 1991 to get rid of them. Strange relic to leave around. Hey now that you mention it, I remember that too from when I’d be up north. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2012, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-britain-whats-the-difference-between-a-pound-and-a-guinea/617481/13 "2012-04-06T15:57:25Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > “Tuppenny bits” is still occasionally used as rhyming slang to refer to the female boobage though. That’s [thruppenny](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Threepence_(British_coin)) bits, but I’m sure you knew that and it was just a slip. The predecimal coin was 3d; there was no tuppenny bit. There is a decimal 2p coin (but not a 3p) but, boringly, it’s just referred to as “two pence” or “two pee”. For the benefit of non-Brits: British currency is really very simple these days. It’s totally regular decimal currency with no funny hangovers from the days of pounds, shillings and pence. The only difference compared with, say, the US dollar is that our coins go 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 pence instead of 1, 5, 10, 25 (and rarely 50) cents. We also have £1 and £2 coins, so the smallest paper money is a £5 note. As others have noted, until the early 1990s predecimal one-shilling and two-shilling (florin) coins did still circulate, as they were worth 5p and 10p and were the same size as their decimal equivalents. Kind of a shame the coins were resized so that couldn’t continue, as it was quite cool getting coins with long-dead kings on in your change. The last of the pre-decimal coins, the [florin](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florin_(British_coin)), was only demonetised in 1993. Until then, [these](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Two_shillings_(British_coin).jpg) were a common sight in your change, ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2012, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-britain-whats-the-difference-between-a-pound-and-a-guinea/617481/14 "2012-04-06T17:02:00Z")
> [@Giles](#): > > I was living in Britain long before [the article](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/300/in-britain-whats-the-difference-between-a-pound-and-a-guinea) was written, and I remember farthings, ha’pennies, pennies, three-penny bits and six-penny bits – but there were no two-penny coins in circulation. No love for the half-crown? ☹ In my memory, at least, these were more common than the florins (that turned into 10p). ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2012, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-britain-whats-the-difference-between-a-pound-and-a-guinea/617481/15 "2012-04-06T17:47:46Z")
> [@njtt](#): > > No love for the half-crown? ☹ In my memory, at least, these were more common than the florins (that turned into 10p). Yes, I remember that too – I was just listing the coins below a bob that circulated when I was a young lad. ---
**Author:** ![Bytegeist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9dc877/32.png) [@Bytegeist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bytegeist)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2012, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-britain-whats-the-difference-between-a-pound-and-a-guinea/617481/16 "2012-04-07T22:28:44Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > … [these](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Two_shillings_(British_coin).jpg) were a common sight in your change. Out of curiosity, what do “FID” and “DEF” stand for on that coin? ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2012, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-britain-whats-the-difference-between-a-pound-and-a-guinea/617481/17 "2012-04-07T22:34:24Z")
> [@Bytegeist](#): > > Out of curiosity, what do “FID” and “DEF” stand for on that coin? “Fidei defensor” (Latin for “Defender of the Faith”) – a title given to Henry VIII by the Pope before Henry broke off with Rome, and kept by English and British monarchs ever since. ---
**Author:** ![John\_W.Kennedy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_w.kennedy/32/1031_2.png) [@John\_W.Kennedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_W.Kennedy)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2012, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-britain-whats-the-difference-between-a-pound-and-a-guinea/617481/18 "2012-04-08T16:33:11Z")
> [@Pushkin](#): > > Remembering my childhood in the 80s, there were coins that were not stamped out as decimal 5p coins, but were the same size and value in shops. Checking > [Wikipedia](http://goo.gl/UH4Az), it turns out those were shilling pieces and it took till 1991 to get rid of them. Strange relic to leave around. Shillings and florins were exactly equal to 5p and 10p, and the 5p and 10p coins were correspondingly made the same size, shape and weight. In fact, 5p, 10p, and 50p coins were issued _before_ 1971, and were used as 1s, 2s, and 10s. (There had not been a 10s coin, as such, though there was a 10s note.) There was even a movement to issue a 2½p coin to replace the 6d, which, at the time, was the chief vending-machine coin. To have withdrawn perfectly good shillings and florins, many of them only a few years old, would have been a waste of time and expense, though it was eventually done when the 10p and 50p coins were resized. ---
**Author:** ![Pushkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2012, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-britain-whats-the-difference-between-a-pound-and-a-guinea/617481/19 "2012-04-09T19:49:53Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > I’ve still got some florins and shillings in a box of assorted coins in my cupboard - they’re quite beautifully ornate in design - I wish they would issue a similarly designed modern coin set as a tribute. I remember them as being somewhat floral in nature, odd beside all the very functional decimal stuff. > [@An\_Gadai](#): > > Hey now that you mention it, I remember that too from when I’d be up north. I still have a collection of pre-Euro Irish coinage. I miss the deer, salmon and the other animals that appeared opposite the harp. The punt was always nice to have in my pocket on holidays, as much because it looked so nice as for the value. The old five punt note always stuck in my head, probably because my godfather so often pressed one into my hand when we visited. Too much bother to Google on my phone, but I’m sure I remember it was replaced before the Euro kicked in with something not as nice looking. ---
**Author:** ![willjohn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8baadc/32.png) [@willjohn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/willjohn)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2012, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-britain-whats-the-difference-between-a-pound-and-a-guinea/617481/20 "2012-04-13T06:00:28Z")
> [@TMStone](#): > > I was living in the UK around the time that you wrote this article and I assure you that the tuppence and half-penny were still in use. The half-penny has now gone the way of the guinea - just like the Canadian penny will soon. We also called (and as far as I know still do) the 5 pence coin a shilling (although admittedly it tends to be the older folk that use that phrase) > > With a nod to the genius that is Cecil, perhaps the coins I remember were decimal equivalents…hey but we still called them the shilling, tuppence and half-penny. A pound was twenty shillings, a guinea was twenty one shillings. The guinea was used by upmarket shops to con the unwary. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-britain-whats-the-difference-between-a-pound-and-a-guinea/617481.md?page=2)