How Many Guineas Are in a Pound?

By Staff WriterLast Updated March 25, 2020

According to The Victorian Web, in pre-decimalization Britain, a guinea was equivalent to 1 pound and 1 shilling, or 21 shillings. A few industries still use the guinea as a denomination despite the fact the coin was discontinued, and in 2014, it equals 1 pound and 5 pence.

Originally, the guinea coin was valued at 1 pound sterling or 20 shillings when it was introduced in 1663, but fluctuating gold prices occasionally inflated its value as high as 30 shillings. In 1717, Britain officially established its value as 21 shillings, and the coin fell out of use in 1816 when Britain adopted the gold standard.