.The
Coinage in
.The
Coinage in
Sherlock Holmes'Era
An Exhibition presented by Les Dix Sept Marches www.Sherlock-Holmes.org
The adventures of Sherlock Holmes contain a lot of innuendos to the victorian coinage. Anywhere, this coinage is misunderstood, so we are able to show it.
This exhibition has three parts :
The Pound was originally a certain amount of silver (the metal). It was equal to 20 shillings or 240 pence. During the XIX century, the Pound was a prestigious golden coin. The coins of one Pound (sovereign) and a half-pound (half-sovereign) were usually stricked, even the five and two pounds coins were struck only for sepcial events
Three kind of effigies were used during the Victoria reign :
Victoria "with the
young head"
Coin of One Pound, or Sovereign
Struck in 1853
Victoria "with the Jubilee chest"
Coin of One Pound, or Sovereign
Struck between 1887 and 1892.
Victoria "with the old head"
Coin of One Pound, or Sovereign
Struck between 1893 and 1901
The Guinea is an ancient British coin. It was struck for the first time in 1663 with a value of 20 shillings, and 21 shillings from 1717. It disappeared in 1813.
So, at the Sherlock Holmes's era, they were no Guinea. But the canonical writing refer to this coin, sometime :
"Ce sera le même tarif que d'habitude, plus une guinée à celui qui trouvera le bateau."
(Sherlock Holmes to its Irrégulars, The Signe of Four, Chapiter VIII)
How could you explain this mystery ?
In facts, at the victorian era, if the Guinea had disappear yet as a coin, it was also used as a "virtual-coin". Its value is 21 shillings, also one Pound and one shilling.
It seems that certain professionals, like the physicians, were paid with Guineas... when others were paid with Pounds. It is probably an extra payment for their knowledge.
At present, The Guinea is no more used as "virtual-coin", except by some rare persons, who think it is really fashionable, even it is madly elaborate :-)
THE POUND
THE SHILLING
THE PENNY
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Marches
Other interesting sites...
Acknowledgments
:
John Mc Gowan - Roger Burrows -
This exhibition would be impossible without their help and encouragement.
