Shillings, Crowns, and Guineas in “A Christmas Carol” (2024)

FAQs

How much was half a crown worth in 1843 worth today? ›

The half crown reappears toward the end of Dickens' Carol when a transformed Scrooge offers an “intelligent, remarkable and delightful boy” a half crown if he brings back the poulterer in less than five minutes. British 1843 half crowns catalog for $225 in Fine condition and $4,125 in Uncirculated.

We are told that Bob Cratchit kept his family on 15 shillings a week (equivalent to about £63 today or £3276 per year… although as everyone was earning substantially less in real terms, this should be scaled up to a more reasonable £30,000).

One pound was equal to 20 shillings, one shilling was equal to 12 pence, and so one pound was equal to 240 pence. Also, one guinea was equivalent to 21 shillings.

In Charles Dickens A Christmas Carol, Ebenezer Scrooge paid his clerk Bob Cratchit 15 shillings a week. What is the present-day equivalent of those 15 shillings? The MeasuringWorth comparator gives two answers.

A crown equals five shillings. Situated between these two units is the half crown equal to two shillings and six pence. During colonial times the value of an item was often expressed in crowns.

shilling, former English and British coin, nominally valued at one-twentieth of a pound sterling, or 12 pence. The shilling was also formerly the monetary unit of Australia, Austria, New Zealand, and Ireland. Today it is the basic monetary unit in Kenya, Somalia, Tanzania, and Uganda.

There have been attempts to link its name to the famous politician Sir Robert Walpole. However, 'bob' also referred to a set of changes rung on church bells, which may provide one possible explanation for the name since the word 'shilling' comes from the Germanic word 'skell' meaning 'ring'.

A 'bob' was the slang word for a Shilling, which was worth 12 old pennies. Following decimilisation in 1971, a Shilling was worth 5 new pence. The old 'ten bob note' (10 shillings) was the equivalent of 5 Florins, or 4 Half Crowns, or 2 Crowns. After decimilisation, it was worth 50p.

Given: Pound (£). Shilling (s) – 20 shillings = 1 pound. Pence (d) – 12 pence = 1 shilling.

Pennies were, confusingly, abbreviated to 'd'. This is because the Latin word for this coin was 'denarius'. ob. A still smaller Roman coin was an 'obulus'. The abbreviation 'ob' was used for halfpennies.

What are six pennies called? ›

The sixpence (6d; /ˈsɪkspəns/), sometimes known as a tanner or half-shilling was a British coin. It was worth 6 pennies or ​2 ¹⁄₂ new pence. It has not been produced since 1970.

Because, prior to 1971 when the UK adopted decimal currency with 100 “new pence” (symbolised as “p”) to the £1, there were 20 shillings to the £1, and 12 pence (symbolised as “d”) to the shilling. Thus there were 240d to the £1.

Various people have ventured guesses at Scrooge's wealth. Forbes listed him as the sixth-richest fictional character with $8 billion in assets (namesake Scrooge McDuck was second with $29.1 billion, apparently all in gold coins stored in a giant vault).

Bob Cratchit is quite poor. Dickens depicts him in tattered clothing, although Cratchit makes sure his clothes are clean and mended. Bob is poor because his wages are low and he has a large family to support.

The movie is set in the year 1843, the year that Charles Dickens wrote and published "A Christmas Carol." At the beginning of the film, when Scrooge signs Marley's death certificate, it is dated "1836." A caption tells that Scrooge's encounter with the spirits takes place, "Seven Christmas Eves Later," making it 1843.

Half a crown was two shillings and sixpence, and a shilling was equivalent to five new pence. So it equates to 12 and a half pence in today's money. If you find this answer helpful.

The two shillings and sixpence coin or half-crown was a " half dollar", also sometimes referred to as "two and a kick". The sixpence (6d) became 5 cents, the shilling (1/-) became 10 cents, the florin (2/-) became 20 cents, and the half-crown (2/6) became 25 cents.

$100 in 1843 is worth $4,244.18 today

A dollar today only buys 2.356% of what it could buy back then. The inflation rate in 1843 was -9.76%.

Better Victorian Old Head Crowns

Victoria issued crowns with her “Old” or “Widow” Head between 1893 and 1900. They are large, impressive pieces made of Sterling silver and were worth today's equivalent of about £25.