The shilling (1s) ( ga, scilling) coin was a subdivision of the pre-decimal
Irish pound
The pound (Irish: ) was the currency of the Republic of Ireland until 2002. Its ISO 4217 code was IEP, and the symbol was £ (or IR£ for distinction). The Irish pound was replaced by the euro on 1 January 1999. Euro currency did not begin cir ...
, worth of a pound. Worth 12d or half of a
Florin
The Florentine florin was a gold coin struck from 1252 to 1533 with no significant change in its design or metal content standard during that time. It had 54 grains (3.499 grams, 0.113 troy ounce) of nominally pure or 'fine' gold with a purcha ...
.
The original minting of the coin from 1928 until 1942 contained 75%
silver; this Irish coin had a higher content than the equivalent
British coin. These earlier coins were noticeably different from their later counterparts as they were of a lighter hue than the
cupronickel coins minted from 1951, and they resisted wear less well. The cupronickel coin contained 75%
copper and 25%
nickel.
The coin measured in diameter and weighed 5.655
grams; this did not change with cupro-nickel coin. The last shillings were minted in 1968. When the currency was decimalised, this coin continued to circulate alongside its replacement
five pence (which also featured a bull on the reverse); the shilling was finally withdrawn from circulation on 1 January 1993 as a smaller five pence coin was introduced.
The reverse design featuring a
bull was by English artist
Percy Metcalfe. The obverse featured the
Irish harp. From 1928 to 1937 the date was split either side of the harp with the name ''
Saorstát Éireann
The Irish Free State ( ga, Saorstát Éireann, , ; 6 December 192229 December 1937) was a state established in December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty of December 1921. The treaty ended the three-year Irish War of Independence between the ...
'' circling around. From 1938 to 1968 the inscription changed to ''
Éire'' on the left of the harp and the date on the right.
See also
*
£sd
References
External links
Coinage Act, 1926Irish Coinage website - catalogue - shilling
{{Shilling
shilling coin