Presentation Pack Contains :
SixpenceShilling
Half Crown
Florin and
Silver Jubilee Crown (1977)
Queen Elizabeth II ascended to the throne in Febraury 1952 after the death of King George VI and was crowned Queen of England at Westminster Abbey in Jun 1953. At this time the United Kingdom was using a currency system made up of pounds, shilling and pence. The pound was made up of 240 "old pence", with twelve old pence in a shilling and 20 shillings in a pound. There were two halfpennies to a penny and the sixpence has a value of six pennies.
In 1847 Parliament had considered introducing a decimal currency but it was not until March 1966 that a decision to adopt a decimal curency was announced. On 15th February 1971, Decimal Day, the United Kingdom decimalised its coinage. After this time there were 100 pennies to the pound. New coins were introduced the the new five and ten pence coins being the same size and weight as the former shilling and florin. The pre-decimal coins were gradually phased out of circulation.