Fourpence (British coin) Fourpence (British coin) The pre-decimal fourpence (4d), sometimes known as a groat (from Dutch "grootpennig" = "big penny") or fourpenny bit, was a coin worth one sixtieth of a pound sterling, or four pence. The coin was also known as a joey after the MP Joseph Hume, who spoke in favour of its introduction. It was a revival of the pre-Union coin. Before Decimal Day in 1971 there were two hundred and forty pence in one pound sterling. Twelve pence made a shilling, and twenty shillings made a pound. Values less than a pound were usually written in terms of
Penny (United States coin) mm) in thickness. Its weight has varied, depending upon the composition of metals used in its production (see further below). The U.S. Mint's official name for the coin is "cent" and the U.S. Treasury's official name is "one cent piece". The colloquial term "penny" derives from the British coin of the same name, the pre-decimal version of which had a similar place in the British system. In American English, "pennies" is the plural form. (The plural form "pence"—standard in British English—is not used in reference to American coins.) Although the coin's abolition has been proposed because it is now worth