When was the new 5p introduced

In the 5p was made smaller and lighter but was initially thought by many to be a bit too small. Only the smaller post 5p coins shown on this page are legal tender. For the previous larger ones, see here. Note that there are also minor die differences concerning the reverses of five pence coins dated Coins that went into BU annual sets often have minor differences in comparison to the coins that were for general circulation.

These coins are quite rare. Size: 18mm Width: 1. Weight: 3. It contains valuations for all UK decimal coins — and current English bank notes. Cafe price list circa with prices in shillings and pence. For a short time the old and new currencies operated in unison, whereby people could pay in pounds, shillings and pence and receive new money as change. Originally it was planned that old money would be phased out of circulation over eighteen months, but as it turned out, the old penny, halfpenny and threepenny coins were officially taken out of circulation as early as August In comparison to the rest of the world, Britain lagged behind in the decimalisation stakes.

Whilst Britain and our nearest neighbour Ireland did not convert to decimalisation until , this was not the first time Britain had considered decimalisation. As far back as Parliament had considered decimalising the British currency.

In ,the Decimal Association was founded in support of both decimalisation and use of the SI metric system, the international standard for physical measurements which had been adopted by France in the s and has since been widely introduced across the world although interestingly the metric system has still not been fully implemented in the UK.

However despite the introduction of the two shilling silver florin in , worth one-tenth of a pound, and the double florin a four-shilling piece in , there was little development towards decimalisation in Britain for nearly a century. Whilst various names for a new unit of currency had been suggested — such as the new pound, the royal or the noble — it was decided that as a reserve currency, the pound sterling was too important to lose.

There are now only two countries in the world who officially continue to use non-decimal currencies. Mauritania still employs the ouguiya, which is equal to five khoums and Madagascans use the ariary, which is equal to five iraimbilanja. In October the 50p piece was introduced. Pre-decimal currency. The ten-shilling ten bob note was worth 50p and replaced by a seven-sided coin. This was quite radical in Top from left a half-crown