United Kingdom | |
| Value | £0.05 12d (1548-1971) 5p (1971–1990) |
|---|---|
| Mass | (1816–1970) 5.66 g |
| Diameter | (1816–1970) 23.60 mm |
| Edge | Milled |
| Composition |
|
| Years of minting | c. 1548 – 1966 |
| Obverse | |
 | |
| Design | Profile of the monarch (Elizabeth II design shown) |
| Designer | Mary Gillick |
| Design date | 1953 |
| Reverse | |
 | |
| Design | Various (coat of arms of England design shown) |
| Designer | William Gardner |
| Design date | 1947 |
TheBritishshilling, abbreviated "1s" or "1/-", was a unit of currency and a denomination ofsterling coinage worth1⁄20 of onepound, or twelvepre-decimal pence. It was first minted in 1503 or 1504 during the reign ofHenry VII as thetestoon, and became known as the shilling, from theOld Englishscilling,[1] sometime in the mid-16th century. It circulated until 1990. It was commonly known as abob, as in "ten-bob note", also the Scout Association'sBob a Job Week.
The shilling was last minted in 1966, prior to the UK'sdecimalisation. FollowingDecimal Day on 15 February 1971 the coin had a value offive new pence, and a new coin of the same value but labelled as "five new pence" (the word "new" was removed after 1980) was minted with the same size as the shilling until 1990. The five-pence coin was reduced in size in 1990, and the old larger five-pence coins and the pre-decimal shilling coins were both withdrawn from circulation at the end of the year.[2] It was made from silver from its introduction in or around 1503 until 1946, and thereafter incupronickel.
Before Decimal Day in 1971, sterling used theCarolingian monetary system ("£sd"), under which the largest unit was a pound (£) divided into 20 shillings (s), each of 12 pence (d).
Although the coin was not minted until the 16th century, the value of a shilling had been used for accounting purposes since theearly medieval period. The value of one shilling equalling 12 pence (12 d) was set by the Normans following theconquest; before this various English coins equalling 4, 5, and 12 pence had all been known as shillings.[3]
The notationss/dd for a number of shillings and pence was widely used (e.g., "19/11" for nineteen shillings and eleven pence). The formss/– was used for a number of shillings and zero pence (e.g., "5/–" for five shillings exactly).
The first coins of the pound sterling with the value of 12d were minted in 1503[4] or 1504[3] and were known as testoons. The testoon was one of the first English coins to bear a real (rather than a representative)[clarification needed] portrait of the monarch on its obverse, and it is for this reason that it obtained its name from anItalian coin known as thetestone, orheadpiece, which had been introduced inMilan in 1474.[5]
Between 1544 and 1551 the coinage was debased repeatedly by the governments ofHenry VIII andEdward VI in an attempt to generate more money to fund foreign wars. This debasement meant that coins produced in 1551 had one-fifth of the silver content of those minted in 1544, and consequently the value of new testoons fell from 12d to 6d.[6] The reason the testoon decreased in value is that unlike today, the value of coins was determined by the market price of the metal contained within them. This debasement was recognised as a mistake, and duringElizabeth's reign newly minted coins, including the testoon (now known as the shilling), had a much higher silver content and regained their pre-debasement value.[7] Debased testoons were overstruck with portcullis and greyhound symbols to indicate lower values of fourpence-halfpenny and twopence-farthing, before being withdrawn entirely.[8][9]
Shillings were minted during the reigns of every English monarch after Edward VI, as well as during theCommonwealth, with a vast number of variations and alterations appearing over the years. The Royal Mint undertook amassive recoinage programme in 1816, with large quantities of gold and silver coin being minted. Previous issues of silver coinage had been irregular, and the last issue, minted in 1787, was not intended for issue to the public, but as Christmas gifts to the Bank of England's customers.[10] New silver coinage was to be of .925 (sterling) standard, with silver coins to be minted at 66 shillings to the troy pound.[11] Hence, newly minted shillings weighed2⁄11 troy ounce, equivalent to 87.273grains or 5.655grams.
The Royal Mint debased the silver coinage in 1920 from 92.5% silver to 50% silver. Shillings of both alloys were minted that year.[12][self-published source?] This debasement was done because of the rising price of silver around the world, and followed the global trend of the elimination, or the reducing in purity, of the silver in coinage.[13] The minting of silver coinage of the pound sterling ceased completely (except for the ceremonialMaundy Money) at the end of 1946 for similar reasons, exacerbated by the costs of theSecond World War. New "silver" coinage was instead minted incupronickel, an alloy of 75% copper and 25% nickel.[14]
Beginning withLord Wrottesley's proposals in the 1820s there were various attempts to decimalise the pound sterling over the next century and a half.[15][16] These attempts came to nothing significant until the 1960s when the need for a currency more suited to simple monetary calculations became pressing. The decision to decimalise was announced in 1966, with the pound to be redivided into 100, rather than 240, pence.[17]Decimal Day was set for 15 February 1971, and a whole range of new coins was introduced. Shillings continued to belegal tender with a value of 5 new pence until 31 December 1990.[2]
Testoons issued during the reign of Henry VII feature a right-facing portrait of the king on the obverse. Surrounding the portrait is the inscriptionHENRICUS DI GRA REX ANGL Z FRA, or similar, meaning "Henry, by the Grace of God, King of England and France".[5] All shillings minted under subsequent kings and queens bear a similar inscription on the obverse identifying the monarch (or Lord Protector during theCommonwealth), with the portrait usually flipping left-facing to right-facing or vice versa between monarchs. The reverse features the escutcheon of theRoyal Arms of England, surrounded by the inscriptionPOSVI DEVM ADIVTORE MEVM, or a variant, meaning "I have made God my helper".[18]
Henry VIII testoons have a different reverse design, featuring a crownedTudor rose, but those ofEdward VI return to the Royal Arms design used previously.[19] Starting with Edward VI the coins feature the denominationXII printed next to the portrait of the king.Elizabeth I andMary I shillings are exceptions to this; the former has the denomination printed on the reverse, above the coat of arms, and the latter has no denomination printed at all. Some shillings issued during Mary's reign bear the date of minting, printed above the dual portraits of Mary andPhilip.[19]
Early shillings ofJames I feature the alternative reverse inscriptionEXURGAT DEUS DISSIPENTUR INIMICI, meaning "Let God arise and His enemies be scattered", becomingQVAE DEVS CONIVNXIT NEMO SEPARET, meaning "What God hath put together let no man put asunder" after 1604.[20][21]
A slang name for a shilling was a "bob" (plural as singular, as in "that cost me two bob"). The first recorded use was in a case ofcoining heard at theOld Bailey in 1789, when it was described ascant, "well understood among a certain set of people", but heard only among criminals and their associates.[22][23]
In the Gambia, white people are calledtoubabs, which may derive from the colonial practice of paying locals two shillings for running errands.[24] An alternate etymology holds that the name is derived from Frenchtoubib, i.e.doctor.[25]
To "take theKing's shilling" was to enlist in the army or navy, a phrase dating back to the early 19th century.[26]
To "cut someone off with a shilling", often quoted as "cut offwithout a shilling" means to disinherit. Although this has no basis in English law, some believe that leaving a family member a single shilling in one's will ensured that it could not be challenged in court as an oversight.[27]
A popular legend holds that a shilling was the value of a cow inKent, or a sheep elsewhere.[28]
[29]Victoria
Edward VII
George V
George VI
English Crest
Scottish Crest
Elizabeth II
English Shield
Scottish Shield
