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 many earlier changes in design, and was in silver until 1946. Starting in 1937, the Royal Mint issued two versions of the shilling every year: an English design and a Scottish design.
At the beginning of the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, the denomination was re-designed by William Gardner, with the "English" version of the shilling featuring the crowned Royal Arms of England, and the "Scottish" shilling featuring the Royal Arms of Scotland.
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 1960 was legal tender for 30 years.
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