Reading the Regency

Pounds, Shillings and Pence

Pence

"Clara: A silver penny for your thoughts, uncle.
Sir William: Shall I never teach you economy?--such extravagance! to give a penny, and a silver penny, for what you may have for nothing."
[Act II, The Rose, Thistle and Shamrock, by Maria Edgeworth]

The traditional symbol for pence was "d". This was short for Denarius, the Latin word for pence. So sixpence would be written as 6d, or -/6. (meaning zero shillings and sixpence) Four and a half pence would be written as 4½d.

Twenty pence was the same as one shilling, while 240 pennies were equal to one pound. This was because 240 penny coins weighed 1lb. (a pound weight)

Up to 1796 all penny coins were made of silver. After 1796, due to a shortage of silver, (and a shortage of coins generally) they were minted in copper. The 1796 copper penny and two pence coins were both called a "cartwheel" because of the thicker rim around the outer edge. During the Regency, both copper and silver pennies were in circulation.

There were a few coins minted that were worth more than a penny and less than a shilling:

Two pence (tuppence) - a copper coin, only minted in 1797, worth two pence.
Three pence (thruppence, or a thrupenny bit) - a silver coin, worth three pence.
Four pence (groat) - a silver coin, worth four pence.
Sixpence (tanner) - a silver coin, worth six pence.

While the penny was the smallest whole coin, there were also two coins representing fractions of a penny:

Halfpenny (Ha'penny) - a copper coin, worth half a penny.
Farthing - a copper coin worth a quarter of a penny.

In Regency slang, a four pence piece was also known as a croker, a two pence coin was called a duce, and a farthing was known as a grig.

If something was described as being not worth a groat, it meant it was worthless, while a person born under a threepenny halfpenny planet was someone who was remarkably unsuccessful.

Guinea

"LOST. A bunch of small keys, on Saturday evening in the neighbourhood of Vere Street or Welbeck Street. HALF A GUINEA will be paid the finder, if a poor person, on bringing them to No. 12 Norfolk Street, Strand."
[The Times, 2nd February 1811]

A guinea was a gold coin, worth the equivalent of twenty-one shillings, or one pound and one shilling. An amount in guineas was often written out in full, e.g. Twenty Guineas, although it would sometimes be abbreviated to 20gs.

The guinea was mostly used by the upper classes to buy horses or other expensive items, offer rewards and stake wagers. The lower classes were unlikely to see a guinea coin, unless they found one dropped in the street.

There were also coins that represented fractions of a guinea:

Half Guinea - a gold coin worth ten shillings and sixpence.
One-third Guinea (third guinea) - a gold coin worth seven shillings. Also called a seven shilling piece.

In Regency slang, a third guinea was known as a spangle, while a guinea was called a bean, quid or a yellow George. Half a bean/quid was a half guinea. Counterfeit gold coins were called yellows.

The last Guinea coins were minted in 1799, but the coins continued circulating throughout most of the Regency period. Half guineas and third guineas continued to be made until the guinea was replaced with the sovereign in 1817.