Someone who said they would join the army was given the coin, but could give it back before they made a promise to a judge. Once the promise was made, they were given more money. The amount of money they were given changed over the years. In 1812, a new soldier was given £23, 17 shillings and six pence. This money was a lot, which persuaded many people to join the army, but the money was spent very quickly on uniform. Because this money was a lot, some people joined and deserted lots of times to get the money each time. One man was hanged in 1787 for doing this 47 times.