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... and this is why we had Pounds, Shillings and Pence (£./.d) in the UK until 1971. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decimal_Day

Much more mathematically interesting, and tortured schoolchildren for many years, to their great benefit. Twelve pennies in a shilling, and 20 shillings to the pound sterling. Coins were at or soon before decimalisation: Farthing (1/4d), ha'penny (1/2d), penny, threppence (3d), sixpence or tanner (6d), shilling, florin (2/), half crown (2/6), and the crown (5/). The first paper note was the ten-bob note (10/), tequivalent to 50 new pence, followed by the Pound (20/). Until 137 there had been sovereign and half-sovereign coins instead of the 10/ and pound notes.



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