Coin grasp

I enjoy watching old movies. Especially those of the past that have something to do with Britain. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, The Little Princess, and Pride and Prejudice are a few of these movies.

Unfortunately because the film is set during the early 1900s in Britain, I am unable to tell what the currency would be between the English pound and the American dollar.

I had gone on many websites to find out this information but I find that although I can find the currency, I can't find the equality of the pound versus the dollar.

But thanks to an article written about Sherlock Holmes, I finally found exactly what I was looking for. The following is a list of Britain's old money value and how much it is worth compaired to the American dollar:

farthing – the smallest coinage = 1/4 penny

halfpenny (pronounced “hay-pinee”.) = 1/2 penny

penny – (in conjunction with other denominations is called “pence”.)

threepenny (thruh-pence) = three pennies

sixpence = six pennies

shilling 12 pence (1/20 pound sterling) in slang a “bob.”

two shillings = 24 pence (1/10 pound sterling)

two and six. — two shillings plus sixpence = 30 pence

five shillings – 60 pence (called a Crown)

one pound = 240 pence = 20 shillings (called a “sovereign”; a slang expression “quid) = £

guinea = 1 pound plus one shilling.

In the future I will be able to know exactly what currency is being passed for items of the 19th century Britain in such TV shows as Downton Abbey.