Enlighten me? Crowns & Sovereigns vs. US$1 gold and silver?

Weiss

Do I understand correctly that a sovereign was equal in value to a silver crown?

And historically, were British pounds worth more than an American dollar (say the 19th century).

Just having a hard time getting my head around the idea that a ~ 1oz silver coin could be worth the equivalent of ~.25 oz gold coin in the UK while a ~ 1oz silver coin was worth the equivalent of a ~.05 oz gold coin in the US.

Any thoughts or explanations?

shirohniichan

A sovereign was worth 5 crowns, wasn't it?

shirohniichan

Oops-- it was worth 4 crowns (or 20 shillings). A guinea was worth 21 shillings.

Gazza

There were 4 crowns to a sovereign and one crown was equivalent to 1 dollar, the 1/2 crown (2/6s) was known as a half a dollar long after there was 4 dollars to the pound.

Weiss

<< <i>There were 4 crowns to a sovereign and one crown was equivalent to 1 dollar, the 1/2 crown (2/6s) was known as a half a dollar long after there was 4 dollars to the pound. >>



Thanks, guys!