old money

[chardmr]

why was a shilling called a bob

[Oneeyedvic]

The shilling was often known as a 'bob' as in 'Have you got a couple of bob you can lend me?'. The origin of this term is uncertain, although a 'bobe' was a French one-and-a-half denier coin of the 14th Century (the Oxford English Dictionary considers its survival in this way to be unlikely). There is also a possible connection with Sir Robert Walpole; it is speculation that the 'King's shilling' given to Army recruits may be the link here.

http://www.tclayton.demon.co.uk/onesh.html