ET Biographies

[Clifton Johnson]

On the ET biographies, it shows the ticket no. and the price of the ticket. I'm not that good at telling foreign currency symbols, save the euro and the pound, but does anyone know what the d and the s mean on the ticket fares. I was'nt exactly sure where to post this, so please relocate it if you should feel the need.

 

[Michael H. Standart]

d=Pence
s=shillings
£=pounds

As such, the fare listed for Miss Elizabeth as £211 6s 9d would be 211 pounds, 6 shillings and nine pence.

 

[Bob Godfrey]

And for those not familiar with the intricacies of Britain's pre-decimal currency, there were 12 pennies to the shilling and 20 shillings (or 240 pennies) to the pound. In 1912 one US dollar was worth about 4 shillings.

Speaking of foreign currency symbols, what does this one mean? ... $

 

[Clifton Johnson]

Lol. Thanks all.

 

[caroline herzfeld]

Bob or anyone:

In 1912, how many dollars equalled one pound? Thanks.

 

[Dave Gittins]

In 1912, the US and the UK were on the gold standard. The exchange rate was always close to $4-86 to the pound.

Another British coin sometimes mentioned is the guinea. That was one pound and one shilling. There used to be gold guineas and half-guineas. Prices of expensive goods, such as furniture, were often quoted in guineas. Legal fees were often in guineas. Lord Mersey got 1,000 guineas for his work on the inquiry. Prices were quoted in guineas long after the actual coins disappeared. As I recall, the term was used in Australia as late as the 1960s.

 

[caroline herzfeld]

Thanks Dave. You mean $4.86=1 pound? Or was there a typo in your message? About $5 to one pound?

 

[John Lynott]

And race horses in Britain are still bought and sold in guineas!

 

[Dave Gittins]

$4-86 = 1 pound.

 

[Bob Godfrey]

As stated above, a dollar was worth about 4 shillings. Therefore five dollars to the pound. Even though the exchange rate became much less favourable to the pound in the decades that followed, this comparison survived (with a degree of approximation) for a long time and Londoners like me, who had never been anywhere near the US of A, commonly referred to five shillings as "a dollar" and half a crown (2s 6d) as "'arf a dollar". For my first job I was paid a dollar an hour for hard labour. Bleedin' daylight robbery!
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