29 Nov England Cufflinks
English Cufflinks
English cufflinks are made using the English ‘sixpence’ and also features Queen Elizabeth II. The coins are seen as a symbol of luck in weddings in the saying ‘Something borrowed, Something blue and a silver sixpence in the shoe’
We can make these cufflinks as non royal as well.
History of the sixpence
The sixpence, known colloquially as the tanner, or half-shilling, was a British pre-decimal coin, worth six (pre-1971) pence, or 1/40th of a pound sterling.
In England, the first sixpences were struck in the reign of Edward VI in 1551 and continued until they were rendered obsolete by decimalisation in 1971. The last general issue sixpence was issued in 1967 and a special proof version struck for inclusion in the farewell proof set of 1970.
As the supply of silver threepence coins slowly disappeared, sixpences replaced them as the coins put into Christmas puddings; children would hope to be the lucky one to find the sixpence, no doubt also encouraging them to eat more pudding.
They have also been seen as a lucky charm for brides. There is an old rhyme which goes “Something old, something new / Something borrowed, something blue / And a sixpence for her (left) shoe.”