1956 Tanner (Sixpence)

To move from cache to cache round the world heading back to GC2FT09  #06- Devizes Canal in the UK.

I found some old pre-decimal currency coins ............ decided to send them travelling. This is one of 9 coin TBs set going on our trip to Australia in 2014.

Some explanation of old English currency just before Decimalisation Day on 15 February 1971.

Pre-decimal                              Decimal

Common name       Amount

Farthing                  ¼d                 ⁵⁄₄₈p ≈ 0.104p       ceased legal tender in December 1960

Halfpenny               ½d                 ⁵⁄₂₄p ≈ 0.208p        'appence    New 1/2 pence phased out in December 1981.

                                                                                3 half pennies also called threeappence [a foot …....’  (qv)]

Penny                     1d              ⁵⁄₁₂p ≈ 0.417p        also referred to as ‘coppers or copper’

                                                                                2d known as a Tuppence

Threepence            3d              1¼p                       Thruppence

Sixpence                 6d              2½p                       Tanner

Shilling                    1/-              5p                           Bob

Florin/Two shillings  2/-              10p                        Two bob

Half crown                2/6             12½p                      price of a pint of 'best' bitter in 1966

Crown                      5/-              25p

Pound                      20/-            100p                       In old currency this was a note - not a coin

                                                                                  Also there was a smaller 10 shilling 10/- note

Guinea                     21/-           105p                         Still used 'virtually' by auctioneers up until quite recently -

                                                                                   perhaps in thoroughbred horse sales it still is !!!

Therefore £1 pound was made up of 240 pennies, 80 thruppences, 40 sixpences(tanners), 20 shillings (bobs), 10 florins, 8 half crowns, 4 crowns or two ten shilling notes.

Can you imagine 8 pints of best bitter beer for £1 in 1966!

Farthings worth 1/4 penny had been withdrawn from circulation on 31st December 1960.

See  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decimal_Day  and   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farthing_%28British_coin%29