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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. This type of shilling was struck as part of a new coinage in gold and silver to commemorate the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria - fifty years on the throne, 1837-1887. The coins all shared a new "Jubilee" obverse of the Queen by Joseph Edgar Boehm, adapted from his own Jubilee medal. The new obverse proved unpopular and was only used until 1892 on the shilling, at which time it was superseded by a new type featuring a new portrait on the obverse and three shields on the reverse. The composition is Sterling Silver (0.925 silver) and the coins have 0.1682 oz ASW (ounce of Absolute Silver Weight). 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. Thus, a shilling coin issued in 1889 was legal tender for 101 years. | ||||||||||||
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Variety | Proof | |
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Mintage | Issued: unknown |
Source | Edition | About | Link | Notes |
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Museums Victoria Collections | 2016 | Coin description | ||
Remick, Catalogue of British Commonwealth Coins | 1971 | Mint | ||
Remick, Catalogue of British Commonwealth Coins | 1971 | Mintage | ||
Spink, Coins of England and the United Kingdom | Varieties | Proof |
Royal Mint |
Country | United Kingdom |
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Currency | Pound Sterling (pre-decimal) |
Coin Type | Shilling, Shield |
Issued | 1889 |
Monarch | Queen Victoria |
Effigy | Queen Victoria - Portrait by Joseph Edgar Boehm (Jubilee Head) |
Reverse | Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom |
Face Value | 1 (x Shilling) |
Total Mintage | 7,039,628 (7.0 million) |
Current | No; demonetised 1990 |
Material | 0.925 Silver |
Designer | Leonard Charles Wyon |
Technology | Milled (machine-made) |
Shape | Round |
Orientation | Medal Alignment (Axis 0) |
Size | 23.5000 mm |
Mass | 5.6552 g |
OCC ID | YMXK-DEKQ-CLJD-EWQJ |
Buy Silver Bullion Online |
Source | Reference ID |
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Spink, Coins of England and the United Kingdom | 3927 |
Krause, Standard Catalog of World Coins | Great Britain KM# 774 |