The penny (majority with declared values: Pence) is a coin and a currency in Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

The Middle Ages

The silver penny was probably introduced to the time around 786 by king Offa of Mercien in the English inland. The name penny leads itself from the old-English word pennige off (approximate discussion: pennie suddenly, lautsprachlich: [penije]), which decreases/goes back to same word trunk as that German the word Pfennig. The coins were similar in size and weight in this time to the dinar spread on the mainland. Into the 70's the penny with D became. shortened. This is derived from latin Denarius.

The anglo-saxon silver pennies were also the currency, in that the Danegeld were paid (in principle a kind protection money, which one paid to the Wikingern, thus it further-pulled and the country did not plunder). One can fasten the load, which represented the Danegeld at that time for England, well at the fact that more anglo-saxon pennies were found from the first millenium in Denmark than in England. In the rule time of Aethelred (978 - 1016), around the 40 million pennies to the Danes were paid and to Knut the large one (1016 - 1035) had 20 million penny to the invading army abstottern. It becomes estimated that the total weight of the silver, which was paid between 990 and 1015 as Danegeld amounted to approximately 93 tons. At the time at that time that corresponded 250,000 English Pound. Converted into the current value of this currency 1.2 billion English Pound (approx. 1.8 billion "€) result.

A penny originally contained 1/240tel a Troy Pound at silver (a Troy Pound 373 g correspond - thus the penny had a weight of 1,55 g). In order to ensure the purity and the exact adherence to the weight, on the back of a coin the name of the and the were noted.

Starting from the regency of king Offa was the penny over the time interval of approx. 500 years the only kind of coin, which was coined/shaped in England; up to the time, when Heinrich IIITH and late king Edward III. the coinage of gold coins caused king.

19. Century

After some private coinages copper pennies were in circulation brought starting from 1797 official coinages under the government of George III. These copper coins were quite thick with a diameter of 36 mm. Since 1830 the coinage was made by silver pennies only for special the Maundy set. After 1860 weight and diameters were reduced and during same back organization, which with Neptuns Dreizack and sign maintained sitting Brittania, up to the Dezimalisierung.

Present

Only 1971 were adapted the penny to the decimal system. Instead of a 240stel Pound of a Sterling it corresponded now to a 100stel. For distinction the decimal penny "new penny" was called; 1982 were however again painted this additive.

Numerous British colonies and members of the British Commonwealths knew the penny as currency. Up to the introduction of the euro also the Irish Pound was divided into pence. Today there is the penny except in Great Britain and Northern Ireland only in the dependent areas Falklandinseln, Gibraltar, Guernsey, Isle OF one, jersey and pc. Helena. The in the USA is colloquially often called "penny".

See also

• Sixpence

Articles in category "Penny (coin)"

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