Shilling, Lion on Crown First Design, Coin Type from United Kingdom - detailed information

The pre-decimal shilling (1s), also abbreviated in sums as e.g. 1/- for one shilling, was a unit of currency equalling one twentieth of a pound sterling, or twelve pence sterling; the "s" in the abbreviation is not from "shilling" but from "sestertius" - the Roman coin which was the ancestor of the denomination. It was used in the United Kingdom, and earlier in Great Britain and England.

The denomination had undergone several earlier changes: the King George III shilling (1816 - 1820), King George IV first issue (1821 only), King George IV second issue (1823 - 1825), King George IV third issue (1825 - 1829), the "wreath" type (1831 - 1887), a brief shield of the Coat of Arms (1887 - 1892) and then a "three shields" type (1893 - 1901).

This design, featuring the English lion on top of St Edwards Crown, was introduced at the beginning of the reign of King Edward VII in 1902; it was later introduced on the sixpence too, in 1911. The design was issued until 1927.

The composition was Sterling Silver (0.925 silver) with 0.1682 oz ASW (ounce of Absolute Silver Weight) until 1920 when it was debased to 50% (0.0903 oz ASW) together with the rest of the silver coinage. When the currency became decimal in 1971, shillings were re-denominated as five new pence; they remained legal tender until 1990, when a smaller type of five pence replaced them.