How it works
There are 240 old pence in a pound and 100 new pence, so each new penny is worth 2.4 old pence. The converter multiplies your amount out, then splits it into pounds, shillings and pence. Because old money went down to the farthing (a quarter of a penny), anything that does not land exactly on a farthing is rounded to the nearest one.
Useful equivalents
| Decimal | Old money | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| ½p | 1.2d | The smallest decimal coin, withdrawn in 1984 |
| 1p | 2.4d | Just under 2½d |
| 2½p | 6d | A sixpence or “tanner” |
| 5p | 1s | A shilling or “bob” |
| 10p | 2s | A florin |
| 12½p | 2s 6d | Half a crown |
| 25p | 5s | A crown |
| 50p | 10s | The ten-shilling note |
| £1.05 | £1 1s | A guinea |
Why would you convert this way?
It is handy for historical fiction, for school projects, for making sense of a price you remember in decimal but want to picture in old money, and for checking the 1971 changeover. It also helps when a modern book quotes a historical sum in decimal and you want to see how it was originally written.
Common questions
How do you write 50p in old money?
50p is exactly 10 shillings, written 10s or 10/-. It was a common banknote before 1970.
What was 1p in old money?
One new penny is 2.4 old pence, just under twopence-halfpenny.
Why are some results rounded?
Old money's smallest unit was the farthing, a quarter of an old penny. Most decimal amounts don't land exactly on a farthing, so the result is rounded to the nearest one.