When Britain went decimal in 1971 the new minted coins (Elizabeth head) had 'Five Pence' on the reverse - but the old shilling coins were (then) the same size as the 5P and were still legal tender, though not actually 'decimal coins'.
It does confuse people that the shilling was worth twelve old pence but only 5 new pence. (A the florin/two shillings was technically the first British decimal coin as there were ten to the pound.)
This is one of the (many) things that Connie Willis gets wrong in her wartime books.
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Date: 2012-06-19 10:52 am (UTC)It does confuse people that the shilling was worth twelve old pence but only 5 new pence. (A the florin/two shillings was technically the first British decimal coin as there were ten to the pound.)
This is one of the (many) things that Connie Willis gets wrong in her wartime books.