Incidentally, if you haven't heard The Laughing Policeman, you can find it on YouTube - it's tremendous fun. It also prompted the rather quaint expression "tuppence ha'penny worth", meaning giving an opinion that really isn't worth much. Tommy Steele had a huge hit with the musical Half a Sixpence in which he sang, "Half a sixpence is better than half a penny". I admit to spending the occasional shilling coin on sweets, but always with a deep sense of guilt, feeling I had let the family down, knowing the coin really belonged in the pot. Penny for your thoughtsPride of place among the old English coinage must go to the dear old penny, which is of course still in existence as "pence" or more often simply "p".

Source: Bangkok Post November 11, 2017 21:56 UTC