Three shillings--for the UK'ers

[Benjamin]

> Neil wrote, in reply to the old evil one's assistant:
>The shilling was replaced exactly with the 5p (five pence) piece 
>when we changed to decimal coinage in the early 70s.  The first 5p 
>coins were the same size and general appearance as the old shilling, 
>so the old shillings counted as 5p for a while after.  They were 
>later reduced in size so that they could slip down the back of the 
>sofa more easily.  The two shilling piece, or half-crown, became the 
>10p piece in much the same way, and also got downsized.
> 

Hmmm, I think I have some shillings kicking around somewhere (though 
the new slip-down-the-sofa size was introduced about 1990?) but the 
two-shilling piece (later 10p) was a florin, not a half-crown.  The 
half-crown was 2/6 ('two and six') twelve pence in a shilling, so 2.5 
shillings (12.5p) to the half crown (four crowns to a pound); though, 
somewhat bizzarrely, the Irish pound coin is exactly the same size, 
shape and colour as the old half-crown (large, round and silver).  
Unfortunately this led to copious cheating of old blind priests - 
which are apparently endemic in Ireland, or so I am led to believe.

-Benjamin

Ps. So Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds was all about the money was it..?
Pps. Why does the old evil one want coins of the realm anyway? And 
would tanners do? :)