18 Mar
1999
18 Mar
'99
6:29 p.m.
On Thu, 18 Mar 1999 Philip.Belben(a)pgen.com wrote:
M K Peirce wrote:
I still find it hard to believe in the intrinsic value of a currency
divisable by 10...;)
"Lord, I am a Golden Angell in thy Hand."
-Edward Taylor
Any thoughts on how they handled guineas and
florins?
The guinea was still used as a unit for some transactions (=21 s.) but it had
ceased to exist as a coin 100 years and more earlier. My guess is that for the
sort of transactions that Lyons were interested in, the guinea was not used.
The florin was introduced in the mid 19th century as Britain's first decimal
coin - one tenth of a pound. But by the mid 20th century, florin coins all
actually bore the legend "two shillings" (you Americans wouldn't be at all
confused if your dimes said "ten cents", would you?), and "florin"
was no more
than the name of the coin.
Philip.