Pound (currency)

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The pound, a unit of currency, originated (at least in Britain) as the value of a pound mass of silver. For a long time in Britain, a pound's worth of silver coins were a troy pound in mass.

Today, the term may refer to a number of current (primarily British and related) currencies, and a variety of now-obselete currencies.

Current currencies

Pound sterling of the United Kingdom (or GBP, Great Britain Pound, represented by the pound sign: "£"), issued by:

:*the Bank of England for use in England and Wales;

:*the Bank of Scotland, Royal Bank of Scotland, and Clydesdale Bank for use in Scotland; and

:*the Northern Bank, Ulster Bank, Bank of Ireland, and First Trust Bank (for use in Northern Ireland).

The issue rights of the banks in Scotland and Northern Ireland are qualified by a requirement for them to make deposits with the Bank of England on a one to one basis for the notes issued.

There are a number of related currencies at a fixed 1:1 exchange rates issued in other parts of the British Isles and British overseas territories:

*Saint Helenian pound in St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha

*Falkland pound in the Falkland Islands, British Antarctic Territory and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

Historic currencies

Australian pound (until 1966, replaced by the Australian dollar) note: the Australian pound was also used in the Gilbert and Ellice Islands, Nauru, New Hebrides and Papua and New Guinea. The Australian pound was replaced in the New Hebrides in 1977 by the New Hebrides franc.
Bahamian pound (until 1966, replaced by the Bahamas dollar)
Barbados pound (until 1950, replaced by the Barbados dollar)
Bermuda pound (until 1970, replaced by the Bermudan dollar)
Biafran pound (1968 to 1970, replaced by the Nigerian pound)
Canadian pound (until 1859, replaced by the Canadian dollar)
Fijian pound (until 1969, replaced by the Fiji dollar)
Gambian pound (1968 to 1971, replaced by the Dalasi)
Ghanaian pound (1958 to 1965, replaced by the Cedi)
Irish pound aka Irish punt or Punt Eireann (until 2002, replaced by the Euro)
Israeli pound (replaced by the shekel)
Jamaican pound (until 1968, replaced by the Jamaican Dollar) note: the Jamaican pound was also used in Cayman Islands and Turks and Caicos Islands until 1968.
Malawian pound (1964 to 1970, replaced by the Malawian kwacha)
Maltese pound (until 1972, replaced by the Maltese Lira)
New Zealand pound (until 1967, replaced by the New Zealand dollar) note: the New Zealand pound was also used in the Cook Islands and the Pitcairn Islands. Also used Western Samoa until 1962 and replaced by the Western Samoa pound, and in Tonga until 1967 where it was replaced by the Pa'anga
Nigerian pound (1958 to 1973, replaced by the Naira)
Palestinian pound (replaced by the Israeli pound (also served as Jordanian pound, replaced in Jordan by the dinar))
Rhodesian pound (until 1970 in Rhodesia, replaced by the Rhodesian dollar; until 1964 in Nyasaland, replaced by the Malawian pound; and until 1964 in Northern Rhodesia, replaced by the Zambian pound)
Samoan pound (1962 to 1967, replaced by the Tala)
Sudanese pound (until 1992, replaced by the Sudanese dinar)
South African pound (until 1961, replaced by South African rand) note: the South African pound was also used in Basutoland, Bechuanaland, South West Africa and Swaziland
West African pound

*in British Cameroon replaced by the CFA Franc in 1961

*in Gambia replaced by Gambian pound in 1968

*in Ghana replaced by Ghanaian pound in 1958

*in Liberia replaced by U.S. dollar in 1943

*in Nigeria replaced by Nigerian pound in 1958

*in Sierra Leone replaced by the Leone in 1964

West Indian pound (until 1949, replaced by East Caribbean dollar)

Zambian pound (1964 to 1968, replaced by the Zambian kwacha)

Pound (currency)

Current currencies

Historic currencies

See also