I’m going to London next week! 
This is my first trip overseas and I don’t want to look like a big fool.
What sort of coins are used in the UK? What are there values?
I’ve done several internet searches, but all I can find are coin collector sites. 
If there is some sort of guide, I would be very greatful for a link to it.
The last thing I want to do to some harried clerk is dump a bunch of change on the counter and let them count the amount out.
Thanks!
da mouse
1p - Small copper coloured coin
2p - Large copper coloured coin.
Both these are mostly useless except to round up. ie pay £10.03 on a £5.03 so you don’t get a lot of useless change.
5p - small silver coloured coin
10p medium silver coloured coin
20p -heptagonal coin slightly smaller than 10p
50p- large heptagonal silver coloured coin
£1- Gold coloured coin, about the same size as 20p but thicker.
£2- large gold coloured coin with silver coloured centre.
Unlike in the US, some of the coins have proper individual value, so if you’re used to throwing your change in a bowl when you get home, you’ll no doubt find yourself picking through it looking for the gold ones and the 50p pieces.
The bills (called “notes”) are in many denominations, but the most common are £5 (“fiver”), £10 (“tenner”) and £20.
This Wikipedia article should help. If you scroll about half-way down the page there’s a table showing pictures of the coins currently in circulation.
Also…the bills are all different colours and sizes.
Matching with commonly used US coins, in order of value:
US - 1c
---- 1p - UK
---- 2p - UK
US - 5c
---- 5p - UK
US - 10c
---- 10p - UK
US - 25c
---- 20p - UK
---- 50p - UK
---- £1 - UK
---- £2 - UK
So four coins are worth more than the largest common US coin, the quarter.
You could be pendantic and use £1 and £2 coins to pay a huge bill, they’re legal tender for unlimited amounts 
Thanks for the information!
Mouse_Spouse got some UK pounds the other day. It just doesn’t look like money to me. :dubious: Its very pretty, with all the colors and its not the size I’m used to.
My inner yokel is coming out. :smack:
Bear in mind that ‘legal tender’ does not mean ‘legitimate currency’ under English law, but merely deals with ways to repay debt. And under Scottish law, it means nothing at all.
With the information provided, you should be able to do the counting yourself… and let me recommend doing so. The first few times I went to the UK as (paying for myself) adult, I came home with vast quantities of change because I paid for everything using 5L notes and just duped my change at the end of the day in my rucksack. If you don’t learn to actually use your change, you’ll get home and realize you have fifty bucks in pounds (or Euros, if you head to the continent) that US banks won’t let you rechange.
Is this a joke? How many more denominations are there? (I count one: the £50 note, well, two if you count the Scottish £1 note)
This lets me tell one of my favorite stories. We were in Scotland and had to make a withdrawal at a bank (banque?). The teller asked us if we minded getting 1 pound notes because some businesses in England would not take the Scottish notes. We asked if the reverse were true, that Scottish businesses would not take the English notes. His reply: “We’re Scottish, we’ll take anything. Hell, we’ll even accept bus tickets”.
If you’re taking any travellers cheques/checks it may be wiser to change them at your hotel rather than a Bureau de Change.
Most hotels don’t take a commision but the BdC always do.
The scots also make a £100 note, you wont get it out of the ATM, although if you go into the bank and ask to withdraw £100 and as a £100 note you get a nice big, crisp note. (My Scottish Gran gives these as 18th and 21st Birthday pressies to her grandkids)
Sorry, I’m just utterly wrong on this one. I’ve been away a long time, that’s my excuse.
I had similar feelings on my first visit to the USA.
All notes green and same size??!!
Took me a while but then sussed that looking at the president shown on notes was by far the easiest way to get to grips with it.
Not anymore. Some of our notes have gotten a rather ugly peach hue recently. The old greenbacks are being tarted up like $2 whores in Reno.
How recently, I was last in Rhode Island in 2004 and all the ‘Greenbacks’ were still ‘Greenbacks’
I guess you probably won’t see any Scottish notes down in London, but in Scotland we have another three banks who issue currency as well - which leads to us having at least four designs for £5, £10 & £20 notes - plus older versions still in circulation!
There are also different designs used on some of the coins in the UK from time to time. Special events like the Millennium get their own pressing, as do various anniversaries and there’s also different designs for some of the denominations of coins depending on which country they’re going to be issued in (although they’re completely transferable - expect the odd pound coin with Welsh leeks or Scottish thistles on the reverse as well as the usual English design… )
Most people don’t pay attention to the differences and they don’t actually matter, but you might like to look at your change to see them.
"On June 29, 2006, the U.S. government announced that it will redesign the $5 note as part of ongoing efforts to enhance the security of U.S. currency. The government currently expects the $5 note to be issued in early 2008.
New money designs are being issued as part of an ongoing effort to stay ahead of counterfeiting, and to protect the economy and the hard-earned money of U.S. currency users. The new series began with the introduction of the $20 note on October 9, 2003, and continued with the $50 note issued on September 28, 2004. The new $10 note was issued on March 2, 2006."