Printer Friendly
Dictionary, Encyclopedia and Thesaurus - The Free Dictionary
3,904,012,811 visitors served.
forum Join the Word of the Day Mailing List For webmasters
?
Dictionary/
thesaurus
Medical
dictionary
Legal
dictionary
Financial
dictionary
Acronyms
 
Idioms
Encyclopedia
Wikipedia
encyclopedia
?

Pound Sterling

   Also found in: Dictionary/thesaurus, Medical, Legal, Financial, Acronyms, Wikipedia 0.01 sec.
Pound Sterling 

(or pound), a monetary unit of Great Britain. The pound sterling is divided into 100 pence (before February 1971, 1 pound sterling = 20 shillings = 240 pence).

Silver coins with the value of a pound sterling have been minted since the 11th century, and gold coins, since the mid-14th century. Banknotes in pounds sterling were first issued by the Bank of England in 1694. In 1816 a gold monetary standard was introduced in Great Britain, with the official gold content of the pound sterling set at 7.322382 g of pure gold. The standard remained in effect until August 1914. A gold-bullion standard was used from April 1925 through September 1931.

After the gold standard was abandoned and the conversion of banknotes to gold ceased, the pound sterling depreciated: its parity in relation to the US dollar declined from $4.86653 to $3.5 by 1932. The pound was subsequently devalued several times. In 1967 its rate of exchange with the US dollar was $2.4, the official gold content of the pound being equal to 2.13281 g. The currency parity of the pound sterling and the relatively narrow limits of the fluctuation of its exchange rate have not been officially supported since June 1972 (a floating exchange rate is now used).

In June 1977 the exchange rate of the pound sterling with the US dollar was $1.72, and the rate established by the State Bank of the USSR set 1 pound sterling equal to 1 ruble 28 kopeks.

E. D. ZOLOTARENKO



Want to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit the webmaster's page for free fun content.
?Page tools
Printer friendly
Cite / link
Feedback
Mentioned in?  References in classic literature?   Encyclopedia browser?   Full browser?
No references found
 
I maintain the title by the annual payment of twelve pound sterling for a certificate.
Rags and scraps of the coarse clothing were parted with at the rate equal to about twenty dollars a yard; a piece of a lantern and one or two other trifles brought nearly their weight in gold; and an Englishman offered a pound sterling for a single breeches-button.
They are paid one pound sterling a month, and their food is given them: this for breakfast consists of sixteen figs and two small loaves of bread; for dinner, boiled beans; for supper, broken roasted wheat grain.
 
 
 
Encyclopedia
?

Terms of Use | Privacy policy | Feedback | Advertise with Us | Copyright © 2012 Farlex, Inc.
Disclaimer
All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only. This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional.