…Certain posh doctors in Harley Street [where all the fancy London doctors/surgeons have offices] still issue bills in guineas. This is in no way pretentious
It is helpful when replying to one of Cecil’s column to include a link to the column. Such as this
Assuming you get a bill from a posh doc for 100 guineas, how much would you write your check for?
Welcome to the SDMB, and thank you for posting your comment.
Please include a link to Cecil’s column if it’s on the straight dope web site.
To include a link, it can be as simple as including the web page location in your post (make sure there is a space before and after the text of the URL).
Cecil’s column can be found on-line at the link provided by samclem.
The column can also be found on pages 332-333 of Cecil Adams’ book «The Straight Dope».
(edited to remove inaccuracy)
moderator, «Comments on Cecil’s Columns»
[Edited by Arnold Winkelried on 06-12-2001 at 12:51 PM]
Can’t say anything about the guinea, but in the same column Cecil said that with decimalization, “thruppence, tuppence, ha’pennies” etc. “went out the window.”
I don’t know if that’s strictly true. “Thruppence” simply means three pence; I’d think any value of three pence could be referred to as “thruppence” and no one would raise an eyebrow.
Moreover, “tuppence” means two pence, and there’s still a two-pence coin in the UK. I was in England last month, used a 2p coin, called it tuppence, and no one reacted as if I’d used an archaic, ahem, coinage.
So what, exactly, does Cecil imply was defenestrated by decimalization? Aside from the obvious.
The decimal two pence (2p) coin was never the equivalent of the old two penny (2d) coin. One new pence was worth 2.4 times more than one old penny. The colloquial names for some of the old coins were however transferred to the new ones.
But not at first. For a long while, all spoken references to New Pence were “pee”: “One pee,” “two pee,” and so on. Only later did the old language sneak back. (“Pee” was safe, because “p” is the official sign for the New Penny. The old Penny was designated “d” for “denarius”.)
Of course, it now looks as though this will soon be moot.
In answer to the older question, 100gn is 105 pounds, just as it was before decimalization.
JWK Thanks for the answer. I was hoping that monkeykong would answer as he/she seems to have some familiarity with the billing practices of “posh” docs.
One wonders if one of the posh docs’ customers would know enough to write the check in pounds for 105% of the amound billed.
I understand that in the guinea is also used when race-horses are being sold.
I seem to recall hearing that the guinea was retained in this context because traditionally the 21st shilling of the guinea was given to the auctioneer as commission. So, if a horse were sold for 1,000 guineas, the seller would received 1,000 pounds and the auctioneer would retain 1,000 shillings. (50 pounds).
When I was a kid, I remember hearing about “new pence” (I’m American, btw). It was like this weird monetary reform, & they weren’t regular pence in people’s minds, just “p”. But of course, now they are accepted as “pence”, aren’t they? The vocabulary adjusts to a comfortable, classic mode. Like 1-cent coins in the USA being called “pennies”.
As for guineas vs. the pound sterling, I just have to say: I wasn’t gonna call myself “foolspound”!
…foolsguinea