Shilling

Shilling coins for British coin collectors.  A shilling was a coin used from the reign of Henry VII until decimalisation in 1971.

What was a shilling worth?

Before decimalisation, there were 20 to one pound and 12 pence to a shilling. Therefore there were 240 pence in a pound. Two coins denominated in multiple shillings were also in circulation at this time. They were the florin, which adopted the value of 10 new pence (10p), and the crown, the highest denominated non-bullion UK coin in circulation at decimalisation (in practice, post decimalisation crowns were commemorative coins not used in everyday transactions though they were worth 25 new pence if you wanted to spend one). At decimalisation, the shilling was replaced by the new 5 pence piece, which initially was of identical size and weight and had the same value, and inherited its slang name of a bob.

Old pre-1937 coins had a higher silver content than those made later. Modern decimalised five pence pieces contain no silver at all. Therefore the older coins are worth more than their face value in silver alone so if you come across any old pre-1937 silver coins being offered for sale very cheaply, it might be worth picking them up even if they are not in great condition as collectors items. There was a period (before the smaller 5p coin came in) when old shillings were in circulation along with the newer post-decimal coins. This was quite exciting because there was always a chance that you might get a very old silver shilling cropping up in your change and I can personally remember getting one dating from the 1930’s as part of an everyday transaction and being amazed to see such an old coin being used for everyday purchases.

Shilling coins for sale
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The nice thing about coin collecting is that you don’t have to spend a fortune to build up a fascinating collection. We hope you have found this page helpful and that you have been able to find a rare shilling to add to your coin collection.