off topic-uk money?

[Jason O'Broin]

> alright now i may be the only one not to know but how much is a quid?
> more than a pound? and what the hell is a pence? your monetary sysyem/slang
> is confusing to this alabama boy.

1 pound = 1 quid (cf. dollars = bucks)

1 penny = 1/100 pound (ie. 100 pence or penies to the pound)
(again, cf. 1 penny = 1/100 dollar)

FYI: other denominations: 1p, 2p, 5p, 10p, 20p, 50p and 1 pound as coins
5 pounds ("a fiver"), 10 pounds ("a tenner"), 20 pounds, 50 pounds as notes.

There is also a 2 pound coin knocking around, but you don't come across it
very often. I don't think we have 100 pound notes; if we do, they are pretty
rare. 50 pound notes are not that common, 20 pound notes much more common,
but still not to the extent that 5 and 10 pound notes drive the paper economy
(well, from my perspective anyway!)

The other big difference you would find with UK currency is that our bank
notes all look very different to each other: slightly different sizes,
different colours (fivers are light green, tenners are an orangy brown and
twenty quid notes are a sort of maroon purple). The designs are also different
(although they all have queenies head - big deal!). The difference in colour
is a major plus compared with your greenback IMO.

The notes also have lots of hacky things like watermarks, metal strips and
special paper to make them less forgeable.

Current exchange rate ~ 1 pound = $1.58

... and here endeth today's lesson in UK currency.

Jason
--
       Jason O'Broin - Development Engineer, ATM Adapter Group
Madge Networks, Sefton Park, Bells Hill, Stoke Poges, Slough SL2 4JS. UK
 Phone +44 1494 541258 Email: jobroin at madge.com or jobroin at madge.co.uk
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