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Pre-Decimal Coins
Old British Coins £.s.d. or Pre-Decimal Coins
The old system of British coinage or pre-decimal coins (Old Coins for short), dated back to Roman times, and it was known as £.s.d. Back in those days, a pound (£) of silver was divided into 240 pence (d) or denarius which is where the ‘d’ in £SD comes from (librum, solidus, denarius). There were 20 shillings to a pound and 12 pence to a shilling.
In 1971 the pre-decimal coinage was replaced by the decimal coinage now in use, the last circulating coins of this system were the Crown, Half Crown, Florin, English Shilling, Scottish Shilling, Sixpence, Brass Threepence, Penny and Halfpenny. But before that many other denominations existed, including some very peculiar ones like the Guinea (worth 21 shillings or £1.05 in decimalised currency), which had aristocratic overtones and survived as a unit of account in professional fields, prices of land, horses, art, bespoke tailoring and other luxury items until a couple of years after 1971. All of these services would often be quoted and invoiced in Guineas.
Of course not all of the denominations survived until 1971 - Nobles and Angels for example, did not survive the change over from hammered coinage to milled coinage. So it would be almost impossible to have all of the denominations here, but below you can find all of the old pre-decimal British milled coin denominations:
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- Pre-Decimal Denomination
- Florin (Two Shillings)
Elizabeth II, Last Pre-Decimal Coin Set
We have made up collections of the last type of pre-decimal coins issued under the late Queen Elizabeth II. These, of course, are also the last pre-decimal coins ever issued for circulation. You will get hand selected coins in circulated condition, dates will vary as not each denomination was issued every year. You will get the difficult Farthing, Halfpenny, Penny, Brass Threepence, Sixpence, English Shilling, Scottish Shilling, Florin and Halfcrown to complete your collection. All coins are in circulated used condition but have been carefully selected to provide nice quality coins.
£22.50
Elizabeth II, The Last 5 Crowns Collection
Fantastic Collection of the last 5 Crowns Ever In 1981 the Royal Mint issued its last British Crown ever. They are issuing crown-sized coins today, but they have a nominal face value of £5 and they are certainly NOT crowns. The last Five Crowns ever were, Churchill Crown 1965, Silver Wedding Crown 1972, Silver Jubilee Crown 1977, Queen Mother’s 80th Birthday Crown and Charles & Diana’s Wedding Crown 1981. Remember the first crown-sized coin of five shillings was issued in 1551 by King Edward VI and the last one was in 1981. We have had a fantastic package made to display the last five crowns and it is exclusive to Coincraft. These sets make excellent gifts for family, friends and business associates. One marketing company is selling the 1977 Crown on its own for £9.95, so our price of just £24.95 for all five crowns is very reasonable.
£24.95
Farewell to £.s.d (Pre-Decimal) Coin Set
We have put together a unique collection of the old pre-decimal coins. In the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, the old £.S.D. or pre-decimal coins were replaced by the coins that we use today. We have compiled a set of Uncirculated coins containing the Crown, Half Crown, Florin, English Shilling, Scottish Shilling, Sixpence, Brass Threepence, Penny, and Halfpenny. All the coins that were circulating before the decimal coins.
£39.50
Jersey Proof 1/12th & 1/4 1964
Before Jersey introduced the decimal system in 1971, it had a rather unique way of denominating its coins. One example of this is the old large penny, which stated that it was “One-twelfth of a shilling”. We have found a number of the 1964 “penny” in our stock, all of which are proofs. We also have a selection of proof “quarter shillings”, or an old threepence. On the obverse of both is a crowned portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, while the reverse shows the Coat of Arms of the Bailiwick of Jersey.
£14.95
Union Copper Company One Penny Token 1812 Very Fine
The Union Copper Works was started at Danygraig, Risca, just north of Newport in South Wales and it existed for just ten years. Its trading offices were listed as Congreve Street in Birmingham. The location of the works was a good one with a nearby colliery supplying small coal which was otherwise unsaleable and the newly opened Sirhowy tramroad providing access to a supply of limestone and clay, whilst ore could be brought in on the newly built Monmouthshire canal. At its peak between 1811-1815 the output was around 34 tons per week but the works closed abruptly in 1816 most likely due to the declining demand and price of copper which was falling off at the end of the war against France and the works were offered for sale in 1817. These large copper One Penny Tokens were issued in 1812 and show clasped hands and the date below with the legend UNION COPPER COMPANY BIRMINGHAM around the outside and they grade Very Fine.
£42.50
Victoria, Florin (Godless) 1849 Very Good
Forget 1971 Britain’s first attempt at a decimal coin was under Queen Victoria in 1849. It worked but they screwed up as well. They issued the first Florin in 1849 which was exactly 1/10th of a pound or 0.1 pounds. That denomination still exists today we call it a 10 Pence Piece. But there were some problems. They forgot to have ‘Dei Gratia’ – by the grace of God on the coin. So they quickly had to withdraw the coin and issued the Gothic Florin until two years later in 1851. The 1849 Florin is known as the ‘Godless’ Florin for that reason. It is only a one-year type coin and very important as our first decimal coin in over a thousand years. The coins on offer have seen considerable wear and are in Very Good condition. It has taken us two years to put this small group together, but we know they won't last that long in stock...
£79.50
Wilkinson 1/2d Token Blacksmith at Forge VF
John Wilkinson was born in 1728, the son of Isaac Wilkinson, a furnace worker. John also worked at the foundry and learned from an early age the science of working with metals. He rose through the ranks up to the management of a number of ironworks until he eventually entered into partnerships with his own furnaces in various locations in Shropshire where he was also one of the main driving forces in the building of the famous Iron Bridge over the river Severn at Broseley. He, too, saw the opportunities from issuing his own tokens to use as a form of payment but also for self-advertising. So much so, he even had his own portrait stamped on the coins with the words JOHN WILKINSON, IRON MASTER.
£39.50
World War II (1939-1945) Remembered - Coins, Stamps and Banknote Set
This is a fantastic new collection of coins, stamps, and a banknote from World War II. It is exclusive to Coincraft and there were only 5,000 sets made. They make excellent gifts and are rather handsome. You get a set of 4 British coins of King George VI that actually circulated during the Second World War; all coins are dated 1937-1945. They consist of the Brass Threepence, Penny, Halfpenny, and Farthing. You also get the 1943 United States Cent struck in steel; it was only ever struck for one year. Plus a Cent dated 1944-1946 made from melted-down shell cases. You get a Churchill crown, as he was our wartime Prime Minister. You also get a large-sized 1 Lire coin from Italy dated 1940, the year they declared war against Great Britain. Plus you get a pair of mint stamps for the Liberation of the Channel Islands with King George VI’s portrait. Plus two mint stamps from the United States showing the overrun nations of The Netherlands and Luxembourg. Plus a stamp issued by this country just after the War, where they reduced the colour to save ink. Finally, you get a large-sized 10 Rupee note from Burma, issued while it was under Japanese occupation. Don’t miss out on this fantastic collection.
£24.50
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