List of British banknotes and coins


List of British banknotes and coins, with commonly used terms.

Coins

Pre-decimal

Prior to decimalisation in 1971, there were 12 pence in a shilling and 20 shillings in a pound, written as £1. There were therefore 240 pence in a pound. For example, 2 pounds 14 shillings and 5 pence could have been written as £2 14s 5d or £2 14/5.
The value of some coins fluctuated, particularly in the reigns of James I and Charles I. The value of a guinea fluctuated between 20 and 30 shillings before being fixed at 21 shillings in December 1717. These are denominations of British, or earlier English, coins – Scottish coins had different values.
CoinPre-decimalisation valuePost-decimalisation valueDates of useNotes
Mited; see notes£0.0001736; see notesTudor dates, back to Anglo-Saxon England, at least.In Tudor times, mites weren't minted but were used in accounting; one mite was one twenty-fourth of a penny or one sixth of a farthing. In older times, a mite could be worth half a farthing or d; or about one-third of a farthing or about d
Quarter farthingd£0.000261839–1868.see note 1 below
Third farthingd£0.00034721827–1913.see note 1 below
Half farthingd£0.000520831828–1868.see note 1 below
Farthingd£0.00104167c. 1200–1960.The word "farthing" means "fourth part".
Halfpennyd£0.00211272–1969.Often called a "ha'penny", plural halfpennies for the coins, halfpence for the monetary amount.
Three farthingsd£0.00311561–1582.
One penny1d£0.0042757–1970.Commonly called a "copper"; plural "pennies" for the coins, "pence" for the monetary amount
Three halfpenced£0.00631561–1582, 1834–1870.see note 1 below. Pronounced as "three-ha'pence"
Half groat2d£0.00831351–1662.
Twopence2d£0.0083silver 1668–current ; copper 1797–1798.Pronounced "tuppence".
Threepence3d£0.0125silver 1547–1945, nickel-brass 1937–1970.Sometimes called "thripp'nce", "thrupp'nce", "threpp'nce" or "thripp'ny bit", "thrupp'ny bit". Referred to as a "joey" after the groat was no longer in circulation, as seen in George Orwell's Keep the Aspidistra Flying.
Groat4d£0.0167silver 1279–1662, 1836–1862.Referred to as a "joey" after Joseph Hume, the economist and Member of Parliament until it stopped being issued in 1885.
Sixpence6d£0.0251547–1970; circulated from 1971 to 1980 with a value of two and a half decimal pence.Also called "tanner", sometimes "tilbury", or "joey" after the groat was no longer in circulation.
Shilling1/-£0.051502–1970, circulated from 1971 to 1990 with a value of five decimal pence.Also called a "bob", in singular or plural.
Quarter florin or helm1/6£0.0751344Gold coin demonetized within one year. see note 2 below
Gold penny1/8 to 2/-£0.0833 to £0.11257–1265.Gold. Undervalued for its metal content and extremely rare.
Quarter noble1/8£0.08331344–1470.
Quarter angel2/-£0.11547–1600.Gold.
Florin or two shillings2/-£0.11848–1970, circulated from 1971 to 1993 with a value of ten decimal pence.see note 2 below
Half crown2/6£0.1251526–1969.Sometimes known as "half a dollar".
Half florin or leopard3/-£0.151344Gold; extremely rare. see note 2 below
Half noble3/4 to 4/2£0.1667 to £0.2083minted 1346–1438.increased in value in 1464
Half angel3/4, later 5/6£0.1667, later £0.2751470–1619.
Double florin4/-£0.21887–1890.Silver. see note 2 below
Crown of the rose4/6£0.2251526–1551.
Crown5/-£0.251526–1965.Sometimes known as "a dollar" – from the 1940s when the exchange rate was four USD to the GBP.
Quarter guinea5/3£0.26251718, 1762.
Florin or double leopard6/-£0.31344.Gold; demonetized within one year. see note 2 below
Noble6/8, later 8/4£0.3333, later £0.41671344–1464.Increased in value in 1464.
Angel6/8£0.33331461–1643.
Half mark6/8£0.333A unit of account, not a coin. Convenient as it was exactly one-third of a pound.
Third guinea7/-£0.351797–1813.
Rose noble or ryal10/-, later 15/-£0.5, later £0.751464–1470, 1487, 1553–1603.Increased in value from 1553.
Half sovereign10/-£0.51544–1553; 1603–1604; 1817–1937A bullion coin since 1980.
Halfpound10/-£0.51559–1602; 1642–1644
Double crown10/-£0.51604–1619; 1625–1662.
Half laurel10/-£0.51619–1625.
Half unite10/-£0.51642–1643.
Half guinea10/6£0.5251669–1813.
Mark13/4£0.667A unit of account not a coin, but widely used.
Spur ryal15/-£0.751604–1625.
Sovereign20/-£11489–1604; 1817–1937A bullion coin since 1957.
Unite20/-£11604–1619; 1649–1662.
Laurel20/-£11619–1644?
Carolus20/-, later 23/-£1, later £1.15reign of Charles I.
Broad20/-£11656.
Guinea21/-£1.051663–1799, 1813.
Rose Ryal30/-£1.501604–1625.
Two pounds40/-£21823–1937.Gold; "double sovereign".
Two guineas or double guineaoriginally 40/-, later 42/-originally £2, later £2.101664–1753.Originally known as a "forty-shilling piece"; value changed to forty-two shillings after the Proclamation of 1717 finally settled the value of a guinea.
Fifty shillings50/-£2.501656.
Triple unite60/-£31642–1644.
Five pounds100/-£51826–1990.Gold.
Five guineasoriginally 100/-, later 105/-originally £5, later £5.251668–1753.Originally known and valued as five pounds, but became five guineas when the guinea was standardised at one pound and one shilling in 1717.

Notes:
Since decimalisation on "Decimal Day" in 1971, the pound has been divided into 100 pence. Originally the term "new pence" was used; the word "new" was dropped from the coinage in 1983. The old shilling equated to five pence, and, for example, £2 10s 6d became. The symbol for the penny, "d", was replaced by "p". Thus 72 pence can be written as £0.72 or 72p; both were commonly read as "seventy-two pee".
NameValueNotes
Half penny£0.005 pSometimes written "ha'penny", but normally called a "half-pee"; demonetised and withdrawn from circulation in December 1984.
One penny£0.01 1p
Two pence£0.02 2p
Five pence£0.05 5pA direct replacement for the shilling. The coin was reduced in size in 1990.
Six pence6pMinted uniquely in 2016 as a commemorative coin.
Ten pence£0.10 10pA replacement for the florin. The coin was reduced in size in 1992.
Twenty pence£0.20 20pIntroduced in 1982.
Twenty-five pence£0.25 25pA commemorative coin issued between 1972 and 1981 as a post-decimal continuation of the old crown. From 1990 it was replaced in the commemorative role by the £5 coin.
Fifty pence£0.50 50pIntroduced in 1969, just prior to decimalisation, to replace the ten shilling note. It was initially sometimes called a "ten bob bit". The coin was reduced in size in 1997.
One pound£1Introduced in 1983 to replace the one pound note.
Sovereign£1Gold bullion coins, available in four other sizes too: quarter sovereign, half sovereign, double sovereign and quintuple sovereign.
Two pounds£2Issued as a commemorative coin from 1986 and in general circulation from 1998.
Britanniavarious valuesGold and silver bullion coins, either one — or multiples, or fractions of — troy ounces.
Five pounds£5Introduced in 1990 as a commemorative coin, as a continuation of the old crown, replacing the commemorative role of the twenty-five pence coin.
The Valiant£10Bullion / collectors' coins issued in 2018 and 2019; 10 troy ounces of silver.
Twenty pounds£20Introduced in 2013 as a commemorative coin.
Fifty pounds£50Introduced in 2015 as a commemorative coin.
One hundred pounds£100Introduced in 2015 as a commemorative coin.

Banknotes

Note: The description of banknotes given here relates to notes issued by the Bank of England. Three banks in Scotland and four banks in Northern Ireland also issue notes, in some or all of the denominations: £1, £5, £10, £20, £50, £100.
NameValueCirculationNotes
Five shilling note5/- non-circulatingOriginally issued by the treasury in 1914-1928. Not replaced by Bank of England notes.
Ten shilling note10/- non-circulatingOriginally issued by the treasury in 1914. Replaced by Bank of England notes from 1928. Commonly known as "ten bob note" or "half a quid". 1914–1970.

Post-decimalisation British Notes:
!Name
!Value
!Circulation
! class="unsortable" | Notes