Current Currency

Over my travels, I've collected a fair bit of currency which I
recently sorted from piles, tin cups, and plastic tubs into a binder,
sorted by country. I also acquired a bag of coins that my father must
have collected during WWII. It occurred to me I might be able to spend
some of it soon. Can I assume that anything called a farthing,
shilling, crown, or florin is now worthless? And anything with George
VI's face on it? I'll not bother asking about half pennies, pennies,
two pennies, three pennies, or new pence, because it doesn't matter if
they're legal tender or not, they're still worthless.

 

Using the patented Mavis Beacon "Hunt&Peck" Technique, Thomas

They're - except the new pence - not legal tender (since 1971), but may
or may not be worthless (to a collector).

 

You might want to ask about that 1933 penny:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_British_penny_(1901–1970)

 

Pre-1947 UK "silver" coins were at least 50% silver
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Half_crown_(British_coin)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crown_(British_coin)
Went cupro-nickel after that.

 

Old 5p and 10p coins are duff now, as are 1/2p.

 

Using the patented Mavis Beacon "Hunt&Peck" Technique, Salad Dodger

And 50p.

 

<scrambles for magnifying glass>
drat. A cursory glance tells me my coins might fetch a few dollars,
but not a fortune. Ah well. Save 'em for that rainy day.

 

**** all

a couple of quid mebbe a tenner

dunno, depends on what sort of florin

I had one of them when I were nowt burra lad. Found it in a hole in the
bank where we used to climb the little oak tree beside the A2. The size
of a dinner plate it was and older than my granddad. It disappeared out
of my life soon after. A coin with a history of getting lost I decided.
Worth a fiver for the metal alone I reckon.

 

The sixpence was stll legal tender through the seventies, and the old
florin and shilling coins were equivalent to the ten and five new
pence coins, so were still used up until the point they reduced their
size in the mid-90s.

If the OP has any actual Crown coins, the'll be worth considerably
more than their face value (of 25p). How much more will depend on age.
Similarly the older ordinary coins may, or may not, be worth something
to collectors. Like the OP, I've got some old stuff kicking about; one
of these days I'll see if it's worth enough to bother flogging it.

 

I'd never heard of a 2d coin, but Wikipedia tells me that they were
only ever produced in 1797, so it would have been worth a fair bit
more than that I reckon.

 

Might be worth taking a months subscription out here

http://www.numismaster.com/ta/inside_numis.jsp?page=PriceGuides&@mc=1

 

Or grandchildren. Or poker chips.

 

I dare say but then, even more than now, I was not tempted by the alleged
value of money but like any 8 year old did have an overpowering need to
have a collection of Stuff.

 

OK. They're sorted, with an excel spreadsheet, no less. ( I really
don't have this much spare time. Really, I don't)
The tuppences are all new. Of the old coins, the most valuable is
either the 1903 penny, the silver 1940 shilling, or the silver 1920
florin - all worth ~5 pounds. The half crown is ~4, as are the 1921
farthings. The whole collection is worth maybe 50 pounds.

And I have a grand total of 168 new pence which I can use to buy a
round. Yippee.

 

of toast.

 

Oh, REALLY? I have one of those, a simply massive thing that was
kicking around in my dad's desk. I found it when he died, and thought
it was some kind of medal at first. I sometimes use it as a paperweight.