<P> In the thirteen British colonies that became the United States in 1776 , British money was often in circulation . Each colony issued its own paper money , with pounds , shillings , and pence used as the standard units of account . Some coins were minted in the colonies , such as the 1652 pine - tree shilling in the Massachusetts Bay Colony . After the United States adopted the dollar as its unit of currency and accepted the gold standard , one British shilling was worth 24 US cents . Due to ongoing shortages of US coins in some regions , shillings continued to circulate well into the 19th century . Shillings are described as the standard monetary unit throughout the autobiography of Solomon Northup ( 1853 ) and mentioned several times in the Horatio Alger , Jr. story , Ragged Dick ( 1868 ) . </P>
<P> In the thirteen British colonies that became the United States in 1776 , British money was often in circulation . Each colony issued its own paper money , with pounds , shillings , and pence used as the standard units of account . Some coins were minted in the colonies , such as the 1652 pine - tree shilling in the Massachusetts Bay Colony . After the United States adopted the dollar as its unit of currency and accepted the gold standard , one British shilling was worth 24 US cents . Due to ongoing shortages of US coins in some regions , shillings continued to circulate well into the 19th century . Shillings are described as the standard monetary unit throughout the autobiography of Solomon Northup ( 1853 ) and mentioned several times in the Horatio Alger , Jr. story , Ragged Dick ( 1868 ) . </P>
how much is a shilling in american money
how much is a shilling in american money
one British shilling was worth 24 US cents
one British shilling was worth 24 US cents