So I was watching the 1951 movie version of Dickens' A Christmas Carol and I began to

[abqtommy]

wonder about the coin denominations mentioned in the story: a Guinea and a Half-Crown.
Here's what I found out: in the 1840s...

... a Guinea was the equivalent of a Pound Sterling (which replaced the Guinea)

https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1e7xt7/how_much_was_a_guinea_worth_in_charles_dickens/

And a Half-Crown was worth 2 shillings 6 pence/2s6p, equivalent to 60 cents U.S. during the same time...

https://www.coinworld.com/voices/gerald-tebben/what_did_scroogeuse.html

Until next time, God bless us every one!

[CanonRay]

1. Somebody looked up Bob Cratchett's salary

and it converts to almost double today's minimum wage.

[abqtommy]

2. Thanks, that's good perspective. In this version of the movie the Cratchett family was

portrayed as lower middle class, however that translates over time.