Money in England in 1605

In 1605, England's currency system was based on the pound sterling as a unit of account (1 pound = 20 shillings = 240 pence), but no pound coin existed yet. Circulating coins included:

• Gold sovereigns and half-sovereigns (high value, rare in daily use)
• Silver groats (4 pence), half-groats (2 pence), threepence, pennies
• Halfpennies and farthings (¼ penny) for small transactions

Gold coins were introduced earlier but remained uncommon for ordinary commerce.