On this date in 1971 decimalisation was brought in. Now I am middling aged sort of dame but only had pocket money in the current denominations with which we are all familiar. I do however, have vague recollections of the old money from whence I was a wee nipper when it was referred to as Lsd. Why this particular combination of letters I idly wondered from time to time.....
Thankfully the dear people at the Lincoln Museum of Life kindly furnished me with the answers last summer.
L= pounds. An abbreviation of librae. Roman word for weight derived from the Latin word meaning scales.
S = shillings. S is from the first letter of the Latin word solidus which was a Roman coin.
D = penny. From the Latin word denarius which was another Roman coin.
There you go- yet more useless information with which to amaze your chums [or not as the case maybe!]
Arilx
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