Living in London, Taking a ‘Pound’-ing
By: Chase Sheldon
The British Pound is represented by a thick golden coin and has been used since the time of the Great Fire of 1666. The pound is the slawart survivor of Britain’s coins before decimalisation, which sported names like the ha’penny, tuppence, the groat, the shilling, and the guinea, to name only a few. It’s perfectly common to see Londoners wearing thick, heavy coats with large pockets to store their coins, as the citizens of London carry around more coins than most, leading to staunch, stiff postures and pain in their necks. Many have even taken to holding a number of coins in their mouths, thus the myth of Britain's horrible dental care. If you want to see these coin collections, the politest way to ask is, “May I see how many pounds you can fit in your mouth?”
As for you, humble and oblivious newcomer to this strange land, it is best to start small. First, test the amount of pounds you can bear. Try lifting a friend or neighbor and carrying them around on your back for several hours as this is how most London schoolchildren learn. This may take several attempts and multiple friends of various sizes to accomplish. Don’t be afraid of asking strangers in London as well. Most have fond memories of their own experiences lifting their friends. After you have found an appropriate number of pounds, it’s tradition to call out to the person you are holding, “You aren’t many pounds at all!”
Now that you have found your load-bearing weight, it’s time to find the equipment to match. As mentioned, most Londoners wear large, heavy overcoats with many pockets. Once you have your own, simply take it with you on a journey around the city, along with a single twenty-pound bill. Enjoy at least two hours outside spending money where necessary, and in no time at all you will have at least one pocket filled to the brim with change to start your own collection. What’s more, you will not only have the golden pound coin but many others that come in all shapes and sizes. There’s the fifty-pence coin, which is a large, silver coin with seven points; or the ten pence coin, which is silver as well but much smaller. Then there is the special two-pound coin, which is both silver and gold, and it’s said that there is one in every war veteran’s left pocket, as protection against evil spirits.
You could also spend a day on the hunt for the elusive fifteen-pence coin, a copper coin that has not been minted since the Magna Carta. There are supposedly less than three hundred left in all of England, and each is worth three geese to the royal family.
You can find more information on the history of the currency in Great Britain in the section titled: A History of Money: British Currency
By: Chase Sheldon
The British Pound is represented by a thick golden coin and has been used since the time of the Great Fire of 1666. The pound is the slawart survivor of Britain’s coins before decimalisation, which sported names like the ha’penny, tuppence, the groat, the shilling, and the guinea, to name only a few. It’s perfectly common to see Londoners wearing thick, heavy coats with large pockets to store their coins, as the citizens of London carry around more coins than most, leading to staunch, stiff postures and pain in their necks. Many have even taken to holding a number of coins in their mouths, thus the myth of Britain's horrible dental care. If you want to see these coin collections, the politest way to ask is, “May I see how many pounds you can fit in your mouth?”
As for you, humble and oblivious newcomer to this strange land, it is best to start small. First, test the amount of pounds you can bear. Try lifting a friend or neighbor and carrying them around on your back for several hours as this is how most London schoolchildren learn. This may take several attempts and multiple friends of various sizes to accomplish. Don’t be afraid of asking strangers in London as well. Most have fond memories of their own experiences lifting their friends. After you have found an appropriate number of pounds, it’s tradition to call out to the person you are holding, “You aren’t many pounds at all!”
Now that you have found your load-bearing weight, it’s time to find the equipment to match. As mentioned, most Londoners wear large, heavy overcoats with many pockets. Once you have your own, simply take it with you on a journey around the city, along with a single twenty-pound bill. Enjoy at least two hours outside spending money where necessary, and in no time at all you will have at least one pocket filled to the brim with change to start your own collection. What’s more, you will not only have the golden pound coin but many others that come in all shapes and sizes. There’s the fifty-pence coin, which is a large, silver coin with seven points; or the ten pence coin, which is silver as well but much smaller. Then there is the special two-pound coin, which is both silver and gold, and it’s said that there is one in every war veteran’s left pocket, as protection against evil spirits.
You could also spend a day on the hunt for the elusive fifteen-pence coin, a copper coin that has not been minted since the Magna Carta. There are supposedly less than three hundred left in all of England, and each is worth three geese to the royal family.
You can find more information on the history of the currency in Great Britain in the section titled: A History of Money: British Currency