Last week while scouring the foreshore I found a coin, all discolored and covered in muck. It was low tide and it was wedged by an old piling. I didn't look at it to closely, thinking it was just a one pence coin tossed in the river by walker byers on the path above. Today, I looked at it again and noticed it was slightly thinner than a usual pence. Cleaning it up, I was surprised to find a six pence coin, dated 1967, the last year they were minted. Called a half- shilling in the past, it is often used by brides symbolically in their shoe for good luck . Maybe this one is a precursor to some good luck coming my way mudlarking!! I can only hope.
Front , about the size of a 5p
Not strictly true. Although the last sixpences in general circulation were struck in 1967 there was a further limited issue of a proof set of pre-decimal coinage struck in 1970.
ReplyDeleteThey were never ever called half-shillings by anybody. They were one of our most common coins and we all called them tanners.
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