New Coins

By order of His Majesty, the Royal Mint will, on Dec. 1, issue a new series of silver coins, the first general restriking of silver coins since 1816. A feature of the order is the re-introduction of the crown (about the size of a silver dollar, worth about $1.20), or five-shilling piece, which has not been minted since King Edward VII's coronation. Beside the crown (cartwheel), there will be three-penny pieces (thripney bits), sixpenny pieces (tanners), shillings (bobs), two-shilling pieces (florins) and half-crowns (two shillings and sixpence, also known as half a dollar)--all these, though now in circulation, will bear new designs. The three-penny and sixpenny coins, respectively a little smaller and a little larger than a U. S. dime, will lose the crown on the reverse side and gain a confusion of acorns, oak branches & oak twigs; the obverse side will retain the King's head. The larger coins will also retain the head on the obverse sides but the half-crown will lose its royal coat of arms and the motto, Honi Soit Qui Mal Pense (Evil to Him Who Evil Thinks), on its reverse side and will receive in exchange the royal initials "G. R." (Georgius Rex), as will the two-shilling pieces.

There will be no change in the copper coins: farthings (half a cent), halfpennies (ha'pennies, one cent), pennies (two cents)--nor in the gold coins: half-sovereigns (worth about $2.40) and sovereigns ("quids" or even "Jimmie o'Goblins"), now generally in circulation.