Penny (British pre-decimal coin)
The British pre-decimal penny was a denomination of sterling coinage worth 1⁄240 of one pound or 1⁄12 of one shilling. Its symbol was d, from the Roman denarius. It was a continuation of the earlier English penny, and in Scotland it had the same monetary value as one pre-1707 Scottish shilling. The penny was originally minted in silver, but from the late 18th century it was minted in copper, and then after 1860 in bronze.
For the current decimal British one penny coin, see Penny (British decimal coin). For silver pennies produced after 1820, see Maundy money.Value
1d
(Bronze) 9.4 g
(Bronze) 31 mm
Plain
1707–1970
Profile of the monarch (Elizabeth II design shown)
1936
The plural of "penny" is "pence" (often added as an unstressed suffix) when referring to an amount of money, and "pennies" when referring to a number of coins.[1] Thus 8d is eightpence or eight pence, but "eight pennies" means specifically eight individual penny coins.
Before Decimal Day in 1971, sterling used the Carolingian monetary system (£sd), under which the largest unit was a pound (£) divisible into 20 shillings (s), each of 12 pence (d).
The pre-decimal penny was demonetised on 1 September 1971, just over six months after decimalisation, and replaced (in effect) by the decimal half new penny, with +1⁄2p being worth 1.2d.