4 ms·
No mention of the Guinea (21 shillings) that was the unit used to quote professional fees (lawyers, doctors) and exclusive stuff such as custom clothing. I thin
by litoE 6y ago
No mention of the Guinea (21 shillings) that was the unit used to quote professional fees (lawyers, doctors) and exclusive stuff such as custom clothing. I think race horses are still sold in Guineas, which are now 1.05 pounds.
- ianmcgowan 6y agoTo avoid bringing down the whole pile of absurdities, like some numismatic tower of Babel.. I was five when this happened, and still remember grown-ups complaining bitterly. The old coins did have a certain weight to them, both historic and physically. When the pound coin was introduced people complained again. The strangest thing to me was the difference in size of the bank notes - £20 was flamboyantly larger than the pedestrian £1 note, it seemed huge.
- tweetle_beetle 6y agoYour comment spurred me to find the Wikipedia pages about notes. I had always been aware of the gradual shrinking of the dimensions, but didn't realise it happened so dramatically from pre-war to 70s [1]. Huge notes always remind me of Bresson's Pickpocket - a decade earlier but close enough [2]. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bank_of_England_%C2%A320_note#Designs https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bank_of_England_%C2%A320_note#... [2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0IcoDkGOmM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0IcoDkGOmM