The half-crown (two shillings and six pence) was still a widely used coin till fairly recently. It went out only in preparation for decimalization, which happened in 1972. Crowns are still minted, but only to mark special events, not for general circulation. Roger Backhouse -------------------------------------------------------------------- Roger E. Backhouse [log in to unmask] Department of Economics University of Birmingham Edgbaston Phone: 0121 414 6655/+44 121 414 6655 Birmingham B15 2TT UK Fax: 0121 414 7377/+44 121 414 7377 --------------------------------------------------------------------