Historical Currency

As an American, there are bits of Commonwealth history with which I’m unfamiliar. Some British and Australian historical dramas mention money I’ve never understood. For example, in the BBC’s “House of Elliot,” they got an order for 2 dozen outfits at 12 guineas each. What the heck is a guinea?

So, I did a bit of online research. Prior to “Decimal Day” in the UK and Ireland on 15 February 1971, the old currency of pounds, shillings and pence was used.

One pound= 20 shillings.
One pound= 240 pence.
One shilling = 12 pence.
One guinea= 21 shillings.

Pence were denoted by the letter d for the Latin denarius, and is now referred to as “old pence.” Shillings were denoted by s for the Latin solidus. The nickname for a shilling is a bob. A price expressed as 1/3d meant one shilling and three pence.

1915 War Loan poster. Image from Library of Congress.

A guinea was a gold coin which was removed from circulation in 1816. However, the name guinea continued to be used to indicate the amount of 21 shillings. Apparently the guinea had an “aristocratic overtone” and professional fees and payment for land, horses, art, bespoke tailoring, furniture and other luxury items were often quoted in guineas in the UK and Australia until decimalisation.

Calculating money in base 12 and base 20 was more complicated than decimal currency (base 10), and tourists were sometimes confused by prices and the coinage.

So, Australia switched to decimal currency on 14 February 1966, and the UK and Ireland switched on 15 February 1971.

The Australian pound had been in use since 1910, though it was officially distinct in value from the pound sterling since 1931. Australia chose the name dollar for their new currency, with one dollar equalling 100 cents.

Image from the Museum of Australian Currency Notes

The UK kept the names pounds and pence, but with new values. One pound equals 100 pence. The new pence were denoted by the new symbol of p. Finally, quid, the slang term for a pound is from pre-decimal days, but is still used today.

Image from Thumbsnap.com

Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guinea_(British_coin)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shilling

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penny_(British_decimal_coin)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decimal_Day

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_currency

http://www.dfat.gov.au/facts/currency.html

http://www.rba.gov.au/Museum/Displays/1960_1988_rba_and_reform_of_the_currency/introducing_the_new_decimal_notes.html

Opera

The other night Matthew and I saw Lakmé - our first opera at the Sydney Opera House!

I didn't realize that the Sydney Opera House actually houses several venues: Concert Hall, Opera Theatre, Drama Theatre, Playhouse, and The Studio. The Opera Theatre is actually not very big - it seats 1,507, which is smaller than the Brown Theater at the Wortham Center in Houston. However, the Concert Hall is the Sydney Opera House's largest venue; it seats 2,679.

So, we were slightly surprised that the Opera Theatre wasn't larger. I was also surprised that much of the indoors of the Opera House is concrete, too. I didn't expect the inside to have a somewhat impersonal 1970s feel. (Some staircases have red carpet, while others are bare concrete.)

As for the opera itself, it was wonderful, and we both really enjoyed it. Lakmé is by French composer Léo Delibes, and premiered in 1883. Here is some more background info from NPR Music's World of Opera.

Finally, here is Dame Joan Sutherland performing the famous "Bell Song" from Act Two.

Photos from Portland Trip

We were just in Portand for a week for our friends Tamara and Andy's wedding. It was a lovely wedding, and a great visit overall. It also happened to be my birthday while I was there! Below are some photos from our trip.

Portland Visit - Labor Day/Birthday weekend

Tamara and Andy's Wedding