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    U.K. And Ireland Celebrate 50 Years Since 'Decimal Day'

    Until Feb. 15, 1971, Britain had 240 pennies to a pound. There were also two farthings in a ha'penny, three pennies in a bit, two shillings in a florin, and five shillings in a crown.
    by Laurel Wamsley Feb 15, 2021 3 minutes
    On the day of the official change to decimalized currency on Feb. 15, 1971, Lord Fiske, chairman of the Decimal Currency Board, makes a purchase at a Woolworths store in London.

    Fifty years ago Monday, the U.K. and Ireland put an end to a system of currency that had been used for hundreds of years, and made a switch to decimalization — the system where currency is based on multiples of 10 and 100.

    Before Feb. 15, 1971, Britain's currency was 12 pennies to the shilling and 20 shillings to the pound — or 240 pence to a pound.

    But that's not all. There were also.)

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