Another quiz to keep you going…
Old Money
Compiled by Keith Baby
How well do you remember or know of the “old money” of pounds shillings and pence? All of the clues below relate to an amount expressed in “old money”. All you have to do is work out the amount for the clue and write is in the boxes opposite, then add the total. Some of the answers might be slang for a particular coin, others are perhaps a little comic, so beware!
| £ | s | d | |
| 1. A stone 14lbs | |||
| 2. Poorly sea creature – six squid | |||
| 3. Royal headgear – crown | |||
| 4. Man’s name – Bob | |||
| 5. Worker of leather – tanner | |||
| 6. Mode of transport – penny farthing | |||
| 7. Type of pig- Guinnea | |||
| 8. Jupiter, Saturn and Venus – three far things | |||
| 9. Girl’s name- Penny | |||
| TOTAL |
Boadicea's Chariot 
Hmmm, I don’t know why the table isn’t behaving… but I think you can still see what’s required.
I wish now I’d never been so enthusiastic. Now I gotta fink agen.
3. A crown – five shillings
OZ
5. A tanner – six pennies.
OZ
Given it’s you, Pseu, I have a feeling that 2. might be six quid?
Or, if you’re going to be pedantic, 5/- and 6d.
OZ
JM – Inspired, and undoubtedly correct.
OZ
8. Farthing, a quarter-penny, and also a Far Thing,
This guess is remote, even for a Pseu quizz.
OZ
OZ, I think you’ve got it right with number 8. which would make it three farthings.
In which case, Pseu, my total is £21 7s 9d.
Is #6 a pony which is £25 in old money or new money?
It could be a monkey which is £500, I think.
7. Guinea. One pound and a shilling,
Ara, please, please tell us the tale of the time that you used a monkey as a mode of transport.
Have you considered the penny farthing bicycle by any chance?
Sorry, I forgot the wink, John. No, I hadn’t considered the penny farthing, but I have ridden a pony. 😉
Clearly #4 is Bob (1/-), and I guess #1 is £14.
Apologies if these have already been mentioned.
£14 + £6 + 5S + 1s + 6d + 1.25d + £1-1s + 0.75D + 1d = £21 7s 9d
I like Ara’s Pony!
Bit of a long shot Nym, but thank you! 🙂
Don’t forget the the 3 fat opera singers.
you didn’t mention a silver joey
The half-a-crown was very common currency, I recall. The crown hardly at all, except in ‘Coronation’ sets of coins. Similarly the ha’-penny and the florin (2 bob) were everywhere but the guinea was only a written value for most folk.
Did you know the Florin was our first attempt to go decimal? Up until William of Orange there was no Florin, but he decided that a 2 bob bit was 1 tenth of a pound and called it after his country’s coin the Florin.
Decimalisation never took place until 1971 Feb 15th
Hi Rick, I don’t mean to be anal, but you are only partly right. The florin was indeed an attempt at decimalization but it was introduced much later that William of Orange. In fact it came into being in 1849, some 150 years later. The name was chosen, from among other suggestions that included ‘dime’, because several other countries had coins of the same name and approximate value, Also, up until sometime in the 14th century there was an English coin of that name though its value was 6 shillings. The name derives from Florence, Italy.
Sorry Rick, but the florin was named for the city of Florence and, originally referred to a gold coin struck in 1252. Florence was the centre of European banking and her coins were accepted throughout Europe. The name was attached to the Dutch guilder, but more significantly for England it was applied to a coin struck by Edward III of England in 1344 – it was worth about 6 shillings at that time.