Pre Decimal Coinage…
We have the Farthing to start us off before moving onto the half penny, with the one penny the next inline…
three pence
sixpence
shilling
two shillings
two shillings and sixpence
Ever wondered why you cannot get that coin clean or it turns pink…
Of all the Pre-Decimal Coin’s which has a Silver content, & which Coin pretends…
Sterling Silver .925
In the reign of good Queen Bess it was decided that from 1582, British silver coins would be composed of .925 fine silver… that means the coin is then made up of . 925 parts silver per 1000 parts of material, with the remaining balance being copper. resulting in a standard silver product renowned worldwide whether it is coins or artefacts as sterling silver, this .925 standard was maintained for coinage until 1919, whilst all coins issued prior to 1582 had varying amounts of silver due to the economy of the time…
Silver .500…
In 1920, two years after the Great War it was decided most British silver coins, like the half-crown, florin, & shilling were debased to .500 fine, that is it contained only 50% silver, with the rest made up with 50% copper. if you are lucky you might still find a .925 sixpence or threepence as these two denominations were struck in both alloys for 1920, after then all “silver” coins from 1921 to 1946 were only minted in .500 fine silver..
1947 Onwards…
Again two years after the Second World War, in 1947 onwards, all the “silver” coins were replaced & made in cupro-nickel, an alloy that although being high in content of copper, it still allowed all the silver looking coins of the past to remain a silver colour… an alloy of copper and nickel, strengthened with elements of iron and manganese…
Maundy Coinage…
Only from 1921 to 1947 were maundy coins debased to .500 fine\, but in 1947 they were reinstated to sterling silver, and are still struck in sterling silver today….
Northeast Detectorist 