Editing Decimal Day (section)

{{short description|15 February 1971, when the UK and Ireland adopted decimal currency}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Use British English|date=July 2024}}
[[File:Decimal_Day_Coins.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|An introductory pack of the new currency.]]
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{{History of the English penny}}

'''Decimal Day''' ({{Langx|ga|Lá Deachúil}})<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://adlmag.net/ga/what-is-5-pence-in-us-dollars-6/amp/|title=Cad é 5 pingin i ndollair SAM? - Irisleabhar ADL ➡|date=29 August 2021|access-date=2 January 2023|archive-date=2 January 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230102152213/https://adlmag.net/ga/what-is-5-pence-in-us-dollars-6/amp/|url-status=live}}</ref> in the United Kingdom and in [[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]] was Monday 15 February 1971, the day on which each country [[decimalised]] its respective [[£sd]] [[currency]] of [[pound sterling|pounds]], [[Shilling (British coin)|shillings]], and [[penny|pence]].

Before this date, both the British [[pound sterling]] and the [[Irish pound]] (symbol "£") were subdivided into 20 shillings, each of 12 (old) pence, a total of 240 pence. With decimalisation, the pound kept its old value and name in each currency, but the shilling was abolished, and the pound was divided into 100 new pence (abbreviated to "p"). In the UK, the new coins initially featured the word “new”, but in due course this was dropped. Each new penny was worth 2.4 old pence ("d.") in each currency. 

Coins of half a new penny were introduced [[ halfpenny (British decimal coin) | in the UK]] and [[Halfpenny (Irish decimal coin)|in Ireland]] to maintain the approximate granularity of the old penny, but these were dropped in the UK in 1984 and in Ireland on 1 January 1987 as inflation reduced their value. An old value of 7 pounds, 10 shillings, and sixpence, abbreviated £7 10/6 or {{Nowrap|£7.10s.6d}}, became {{Nowrap|£7.52<small>{{sfrac|1|2}}p</small>}}. Amounts with a number of old pence which was not 0 or 6 did not convert into a round number of new pence.