currency name
image 1	New British Coinage 2008.jpg
image title 1	All frequently used coins except the £2 coin (coins shown are those after the extensive 2008 redesign)
iso code	GBP
using countries
unofficial users
inflation rate	4.0% (UK CPI March 2011)4.8% (UK RPI December 2010)−1.2% (Guernsey RPI September 2009)−0.6% (Jersey RPI September 2009)3.3% (Isle of Man CPI December 2009)
inflation source date	BBC News, States of Guernsey, States of Jersey and Isle of Man Government'
erm since	8 October 1990
erm withdraw	16 September 1992 (Black Wednesday)
pegged by	Falkland Islands pound (at par)Gibraltar pound (at par)Saint Helena pound (at par)Jersey pound (local issue)Guernsey pound (local issue)Manx pound (local issue)Scotland notes (local issue)Northern Ireland notes (local issue)
subunit ratio 1	1/100
subunit name 1	penny
symbol	£
symbol subunit 1	p
plural
plural subunit 1	pence
frequently used coins	1p, 2p, 5p, 10p, 20p, 50p, £1, £2
rarely used coins	£5
coin article	Coins of the pound sterling
frequently used banknotes	£5, £10, £20, £50
rarely used banknotes	£1 (Scot. only), £100 (Scot. & N. Ireland only)
banknote article	Banknotes of the pound sterling
issuing authority	Bank of England
issuing authority website	www.bankofengland.co.uk
printer	Wales) notes:

| printer_override_with_original_text = Y | printer_website = | mint = Royal Mint | mint_website = www.royalmint.com }}

The pound sterling (symbol: £; ISO code: GBP), commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies (the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands) and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 ''pence'' (singular: ''penny'').

Scotland, the Channel Islands (the Bailiwick of Guernsey and the Bailiwick of Jersey) and the Isle of Man produce their own local issues of sterling; see Guernsey pound, Jersey pound and Manx pound. The pound sterling is also used in Gibraltar (alongside the Gibraltar pound), the Falkland Islands (alongside the Falkland Islands pound) and Saint Helena and Ascension (alongside the Saint Helena pound). Gibraltar, Falkland Islands and Saint Helena pounds are separate currencies, pegged at parity to the pound sterling.

Sterling is the fourth most traded currency in the foreign exchange market, after the US dollar, the euro and the Japanese yen. Together with those three currencies it forms the basket of currencies which calculate the value of IMF Special Drawing Rights, with an 11.3% weighting as of 2011. Sterling is also the third most held reserve currency in global reserves.

Name

The full, official name, pound sterling, (plural: ''pounds sterling'') is used mainly in formal contexts and also when it is necessary to distinguish the United Kingdom currency from other currencies with the same name. Otherwise the term pound is normally used. The currency name is sometimes abbreviated to just sterling, particularly in the wholesale financial markets, but not when referring to specific amounts; for example, "Payment is accepted in sterling" but never "These cost five sterling". The abbreviations "ster." or "stg." are sometimes used. The term British pound is commonly used in less formal contexts, although it is not an official name of the currency. A common slang term is quid (singular and plural, except in the common phrase "Quids in!") which is thought to derive from the Latin phrase "quid pro quo".

There is some uncertainty as to the origin of the term "pound sterling". Some sources say it dates back to Anglo-Saxon times, when coins called sterlings were minted from silver; 240 of these sterlings weighed one pound, and large payments came to be made in "pounds of sterlings". Other references, including the Oxford English Dictionary, say a sterling was a silver penny used in England by the Normans, and date the term to around 1300. For more discussion of the etymology of "sterling" see Sterling silver.

The currency sign is the pound sign (£) which is usually written with a single cross-bar, as on sterling bank notes, though a version with a double cross-bar (₤) is also sometimes seen. The pound sign derives from the black-letter "L", an abbreviation of ''Librae'' in Roman £sd units (''librae, solidi, denarii'') used for pounds, shillings and pence in the British pre-decimal duodecimal currency system. ''Libra'' was the basic Roman unit of weight, derived from the Latin word for scales or balance.

The ISO 4217 currency code is GBP. Occasionally, the abbreviation UKP is used but this is incorrect because the ISO 3166 country code for (the United Kingdom of) Great Britain and Northern Ireland is GB (see Terminology of the British Isles#Terminology in detail). The Crown dependencies use their own (non-ISO) codes: GGP (Guernsey pound), JEP (Jersey pound) and IMP (Isle of Man pound). Stocks are often traded in pence, so traders may refer to pence sterling, GBX (sometimes GBp), when listing stock prices.

Subdivisions and other units

Decimal Coinage

Since decimalisation in 1971 (see Decimal Day), the pound has been divided into 100 pence (until 1981 described on the coinage as "new pence"). The symbol for the penny is "p"; hence an amount such as 50p (£0.50) properly pronounced "fifty pence" is more colloquially, quite often, pronounced "fifty pee". This also helped to distinguish between new and old pence amounts during the changeover to the decimal system. A decimal halfpenny was issued until 1984.

Pre-decimal

Prior to decimalisation, the pound was divided into 20 shillings and each shilling into 12 pence, making 240 pence to the pound. The symbol for the shilling was "''s''."—not from the first letter of the word, but from the Latin ''solidus''. The symbol for the penny was "''d''.", from the French ''denier'', from the Latin ''denarius'' (the solidus and denarius were Roman coins). A mixed sum of shillings and pence such as 3 shillings and 6 pence was written as "3/6" or "3''s''. 6''d''." and spoken as "three and six" (except for "1/1," "2/1" etc., which were spoken as "one and a penny," "two and a penny," etc.). 5 shillings was written as "5''s''." or, more commonly, "5/-". The stroke (/) indicating shillings is also known as a solidus, and was originally an adaptation of the long s which represented that word.

Various coin denominations had, and in some cases continue to have, special names—such as crown, farthing, sovereign and guinea. See Coins of the pound sterling and List of British coins and banknotes for details.

By the 1950s, coins of George III, George IV and William IV had disappeared from circulation, but coins (at least the penny) bearing the head of any British king or queen from Queen Victoria onwards could be found in circulation. Silver coins were replaced by those in cupro-nickel in 1947, and by the 1960s the silver coins were rarely seen. Silver/cupro-nickel shillings (from any period after 1816) and florins (2 shillings) remained as legal tender after decimalisation (as 5p and 10p respectively), and the sixpences of 1816 and after remained legal tender until 1980 (as two and a half new pence).

History

The pound sterling is the world's oldest currency still in use.

Anglo-Saxon

The pound was a unit of account in Anglo-Saxon England, equal to 240 silver pennies and equivalent to one pound weight of silver. It evolved into the modern British currency, the pound sterling.

The accounting system of 12 pence = 1 shilling, 20 shillings = 1 pound was adopted from that introduced by Charlemagne to the Frankish Empire (see French livre).

The origins of sterling lie in the reign of King Offa of Mercia, (757–96) who introduced the silver penny. It copied the ''denarius'' of the new currency system of Charlemagne's Frankish Empire. As in the Carolingian system, 240 pennies weighed 1 pound (corresponding to Charlemagne's ''libra''), with the shilling corresponding to Charlemagne's ''solidus'' and equal to 12d. At the time of the penny's introduction, it weighed 22.5 troy grains of fine silver (30 tower grains; about 1.5 g), indicating that the Mercian pound weighed 5,400 troy grains (the Mercian pound became the basis of the tower pound, which weighed 5,400 troy grains, equivalent to 7,200 tower grains). At this time, the name sterling had yet to be acquired. The penny swiftly spread throughout the other Anglo-Saxon kingdoms and became the standard coin of what was to become England.

Medieval

The early pennies were struck from fine silver (as pure as was available). However, in 1158, a new coinage was introduced by King Henry II (known as the ''Tealby penny'') which was struck from .925 (92.5%) silver. This became the standard until the 20th century and is today known as sterling silver, named after its association with the currency. Sterling silver is harder than the .999 (99.9%) fine silver that was traditionally used and so sterling silver coins did not wear down as rapidly as fine silver coins. The English currency was almost exclusively silver until 1344, when the gold noble was successfully introduced into circulation. However, silver remained the legal basis for sterling until 1816. In the reign of Henry IV (1399–1413), the penny was reduced in weight to of silver, with a further reduction to in 1464.

Tudor

During the reigns of Henry VIII and Edward VI, the silver coinage was drastically debased, although the pound was redefined to the troy pound of in 1526. In 1544, a silver coinage was issued containing just one third silver and two thirds copper—equating to .333 silver, or 33.3% pure. The result was a coin copper in appearance, but relatively pale in colour. In 1552, a new silver coinage was introduced, struck in sterling silver. However, the penny's weight was reduced to , meaning that 1 troy pound of sterling silver produced 60 shillings of coins. This silver standard was known as the "60-shilling standard" and lasted until 1601 when a "62-shilling standard" was introduced, reducing the penny's weight to 7 grains (0.50 g).

Throughout this period, the size and value of the gold coinage fluctuated considerably.

Unofficial gold standard

In 1663, a new gold coinage was introduced based on the 22 carat fine guinea. Fixed in weight at 44½ to the troy pound from 1670, this coin's value varied considerably until 1717, when it was fixed at 21 shillings (21/-, 1.05 pounds). However, despite the efforts of Sir Isaac Newton, Master of the Mint, to reduce the guinea's value, this valuation overvalued gold relative to silver when compared to the valuations in other European countries. British merchants sent silver abroad in payments whilst goods for export were paid for with gold. As a consequence, silver flowed out of the country and gold flowed in, leading to a situation where Great Britain was effectively on a gold standard. In addition, a chronic shortage of silver coins developed.

Establishment of modern currency

The Bank of England was formed in 1694, followed by the Bank of Scotland a year later. Both began to issue paper money.

Currency of the United Kingdom

The pound scots had begun equal to sterling but had suffered far higher devaluation until being pegged to sterling at a value of 12 pounds scots = 1 pound sterling. In 1707, the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland merged to form the Kingdom of Great Britain. In accordance with the Treaty of Union, the currency of the 'united kingdom' was sterling with the pound scots being replaced by sterling at the pegged value.

Gold standard

During the Revolutionary and Napoleonic wars, Bank of England notes were legal tender and their value floated relative to gold. The Bank also issued silver tokens to alleviate the shortage of silver coins. In 1816, the gold standard was adopted officially, with the silver standard reduced to 66 shillings (66/-, 3.3 pounds), rendering silver coins a "token" issue (i.e., not containing their value in precious metal). In 1817, the sovereign was introduced, valued at 20 shillings. Struck in 22-carat gold, it contained of gold and replaced the guinea as the standard British gold coin without changing the gold standard. In 1825, the Irish pound, which had been pegged to sterling since 1801 at a rate of 13 Irish pounds = 12 pounds sterling, was replaced, at the same rate, with sterling.

During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, many other countries adopted the gold standard. As a consequence, conversion rates between different currencies could be determined simply from the respective gold standards. The pound sterling was equal to 4.85 U.S. dollars, 4.89 Canadian dollars, 12.10 Dutch guilders, 25.22 French francs (or equivalent currencies in the Latin Monetary Union), 20.43 German Marks or 24.02 Austro-Hungarian Krones. Discussions took place following the International Monetary Conference of 1867 in Paris concerning the possibility of the UK joining the Latin Monetary Union, and a Royal Commission on International Coinage examined the issues, resulting in a decision against joining monetary union.

The gold standard was suspended at the outbreak of the war in 1914, with Bank of England and Treasury notes becoming legal tender. Prior to World War I, the United Kingdom had one of the world's strongest economies, holding 40% of the world's overseas investments. However, by the end of the war the country owed £850 million (£}} as of 2011)., mostly to the United States, with interest costing the country some 40% of all government spending. In an attempt to resume stability, a variation on the gold standard was reintroduced in 1925, under which the currency was fixed to gold at its pre-war peg, although people were only able to exchange their currency for gold bullion, rather than for coins. This was abandoned on 21 September 1931, during the Great Depression, and sterling suffered an initial devaluation of some 25%.

Use in the Empire

Sterling circulated in much of the British Empire. In some parts, it was used alongside local currencies. For example, the gold sovereign was legal tender in Canada despite the use of the Canadian dollar. Several colonies and dominions adopted the pound as their own currency. These included Australia, Barbados, British West Africa, Cyprus, Fiji, Irish Free State, Jamaica, New Zealand, South Africa and Southern Rhodesia. Some of these retained parity with sterling throughout their existence (e.g. the South African pound), whilst others deviated from parity after the end of the gold standard (e.g. the Australian pound). These currencies and others tied to sterling constituted the Sterling Area.

Bretton Woods

In 1940, an agreement with the U.S.A. pegged the pound to the U.S. dollar at a rate of £1 = $4.03. (Only the year before, it had been $4.86.) This rate was maintained through the Second World War and became part of the Bretton Woods system which governed post-war exchange rates. Under continuing economic pressure, and despite months of denials that it would do so, on 19 September 1949 the government devalued the pound by 30.5% to $2.80. The move prompted several other currencies to be devalued against the dollar.

In the mid-1960s, the pound came under renewed pressure since the exchange rate against the dollar was considered too high. In the summer of 1966, with the value of the pound falling in the currency markets, exchange controls were tightened by the Wilson government. Among the measures, tourists were banned from taking more than £50 out of the country, until the restriction was lifted in 1979. The pound was eventually devalued by 14.3% to $2.40 on 18 November 1967.

Decimalisation

On 15 February 1971, the UK decimalised, replacing the shilling and penny with a single subdivision, the new penny. The word "new" was omitted from coins after 1981.

Free-floating pound

With the breakdown of the Bretton Woods system, the pound floated from August 1971 onwards. It at first appreciated a little, rising to almost $2.65 in March 1972, from 2.42 when it had been fixed. The Sterling Area effectively ended at this time when the majority of its members also chose to float freely against the pound and the dollar.

The 1976 sterling crisis

James Callaghan came to power in 1976. He was immediately told the economy was facing huge problems, according to documents released in 2006 by the National Archives. The effects of the 1973 oil crisis were still being felt, with inflation rising to over 27% in 1975. Financial markets were beginning to believe the pound was overvalued and in April of that year The Wall Street Journal advised the sale of sterling investments in a story titled "Good-bye Great Britain". At the time the UK government was running a budget deficit and Labour's strategy emphasised high public spending. Callaghan was told there were three possible outcomes: a disastrous free fall in Sterling, an internationally unacceptable siege economy or a deal with key allies to prop up the pound while painful economic reforms were put in place. The US government feared the crisis could endanger NATO and the EEC and in light of this the US Treasury set out to force domestic policy changes. In November 1976 the IMF announced the conditions for a loan, including deep cuts in public expenditure.

1979–1989

The Conservatives arrived in power in 1979, on a programme of fiscal austerity. Initially, the pound rocketed, moving above the $2.40 level, as interest rates rose in response to the monetarist policy of targeting money supply. The high exchange rate was widely blamed for the deep recession of 1981. Sterling fell sharply after 1980; at its lowest, the pound stood at just $1.03 in March 1985, before returning to the US$1.70 level in December 1989.

Following the Deutsche Mark

In 1988, Margaret Thatcher's Chancellor of the Exchequer Nigel Lawson decided that the pound should "shadow" the West German Deutsche Mark, with the unintended result of a rapid rise in inflation as the economy boomed due to inappropriately low interest rates. (For ideological reasons, the Conservative Government declined to use alternative mechanisms to control the explosion of credit. For this reason, former Prime Minister Edward Heath referred to Lawson as a "one club golfer").

Following German re-unification in 1990, the reverse held true, as high borrowing costs to fund Eastern reconstruction, a need exacerbated by the political choice to make the ostmark equivalent to the deutschemark, meant rates in other countries shadowing the DM, especially the UK, were far too high relative to domestic circumstances, leading to a housing decline and recession.

Following the European Currency Unit

On 8 October 1990 the Conservative government decided to join the European Exchange Rate Mechanism (ERM), with the pound set at DM2.95. However, the country was forced to withdraw from the system on “Black Wednesday” (16 September 1992) as Britain’s economic performance made the exchange rate unsustainable. Speculator George Soros famously made approximately US$1 billion from shorting the pound.

'Black Wednesday' saw interest rates jump from 10% to 15% in an unsuccessful attempt to stop the pound from falling below the ERM limits. The exchange rate fell to DM2.20. Proponents of a lower GBP/DM exchange rate were vindicated as the cheaper pound encouraged exports and contributed to the economic prosperity of the 1990s.

Following inflation targets

In 1997, the newly elected Labour government handed over day-to-day control of interest rates to the Bank of England (a policy that had originally been advocated by the Liberal Democrats. The Bank is now responsible for setting its base rate of interest so as to keep inflation in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) very close to 2%. Should CPI inflation be more than one percentage point above or below the target, the governor of the Bank of England is required to write an open letter to the Chancellor of the Exchequer explaining the reasons for this and the measures which will be taken to bring this measure of inflation back in line with the 2% target. On 17 April 2007, CPI inflation was reported at 3.1% (inflation of the Retail Prices Index was 4.8%). Accordingly, and for the first time, the Governor had to write publicly to the government explaining why inflation was more than one percentage point higher than its target.

Euro

As a member of the European Union, United Kingdom could adopt the euro as its currency. However, the subject remains politically controversial. Gordon Brown, then Chancellor of the Exchequer, ruled out membership for the foreseeable future, saying that the decision not to join had been right for Britain and for Europe.

The government of former Prime Minister Tony Blair had pledged to hold a public referendum to decide on membership should "five economic tests" be met, to ensure that adoption of the euro would be in the national interest. In addition to these internal (national) criteria, the UK would have to meet the EU's economic convergence criteria (Maastricht criteria), before being allowed to adopt the euro. The Conservative/Liberal Democrat coalition ruled out joining the euro for the parliamentary term. Currently, the UK's annual government deficit, as a percentage of the GDP, is above the defined threshold. In February 2005, 55% of British citizens were against adopting the currency, with 30% in favour. The idea of replacing the pound with the euro has been controversial with the British public, partly because of the pound's identity as a symbol of British sovereignty and because it would, according to critics, lead to suboptimal interest rates, harming the British economy. In December 2008 the results of a BBC poll of 1000 people suggested that 71% would vote no, 23% would vote yes to joining the European single currency, while 6% said they were unsure. The pound did not join the Second European Exchange Rate Mechanism (ERM II) after the euro was created. Denmark and the UK have opt-outs from entry to the euro. Technically, every other EU nation must eventually sign up.

The Scottish Conservative Party claims that there is an issue for Scotland in that the adoption of the euro would mean the end of regionally distinctive banknotes, as the euro banknotes do not have national designs. The Scottish National Party claims an independent Scotland would initially continue to use the sterling currency and would only join the single European currency if it was to the benefit of the Scottish economy.

On 1 January 2008 the British sovereign bases on Cyprus (Akrotiri and Dhekelia) began using the euro (along with the rest of the Republic of Cyprus).

Current exchange value

The pound and euro fluctuate in value against one another, although there may be correlation between movements in their respective exchange rates with other currencies such as the US dollar. Inflation concerns in the UK led the Bank of England to raise interest rates in late 2006 and 2007. This caused the pound to appreciate against other major currencies, and with the US dollar depreciating at the same time, the pound hit a 15-year high against the US dollar on 18 April 2007, having reached US$2 for the first time since 1992 the day before. The pound and many other currencies continued to appreciate against the dollar, and sterling hit a 26-year high of US$2.1161 on 7 November 2007 as the dollar fell worldwide. From mid-2003 to mid 2007, the pound/euro rate remained rangebound (within ± 5%) of €1.45. However, following the global financial crisis in late 2008, the pound has since depreciated at one of the fastest rates in history, reaching a 24-year low of $1.35 per £1 on 23 January 2009 and falling below €1.25 against the euro in April 2008. A further decline was seen during the remainder of 2008; most dramatically in December when its euro rate hit an all-time low at €1.0219 (29th), while its US dollar rate depreciated to $1.37 on 24 January 2009. The pound appreciated in early 2009 reaching a peak against the euro in mid-July of €1.17. The following months the pound remained broadly steady against the euro, with the pound's current (27 May 2011) value at €1.15 and US$1.65.

On 5 March 2009, the Bank of England announced that they would pump £75 billion of new capital into the British economy, through a process known as quantitative easing. This is the first time in the United Kingdom's history that this measure has been used, although the Bank's Governor Mervyn King suggested it was not an experiment.

The process sees the Bank of England creating new money for itself, which it then uses to purchase assets such as government bonds, bank loans, or mortgages. The initial amount stated to be created through this method was £75 billion, although Chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling had given permission for up to £150 billion to be created if necessary. It is thought the process is likely to occur over a period of three months with results only likely in the long term. By 5 November 2009, some £175 billion had been injected using quantitative easing and the effectiveness of the process remains questionable.

The Bank of England has stated that the decision has been taken to prevent the rate of inflation falling below the two percent target rate. Mervyn King, the Governor of the Bank of England, also suggested there were no other monetary options left as interest rates have already been cut to their lowest level ever of 0.5% and it was unlikely they would be cut further.

Coins

Pre-decimal coins

The silver penny (plural: ''pence''; abbreviation: ''d'') was the principal and often sole coin in circulation from the 8th century until 13th century. Although some fractions of the penny were struck (see farthing and halfpenny), it was more common to find pennies cut into halves and quarters to provide smaller change. Very few gold coins were struck, with the gold penny (worth 20 silver pence) a rare example. However, in 1279, the ''groat'', worth 4d was introduced, with the half groat following in 1344. 1344 also saw the establishment of a gold coinage with the introduction (after the failed gold florin) of the ''noble'' worth six shillings and eight pence ('6/8') (i.e. 3 to the pound), together with the half and quarter noble. Reforms in 1464 saw a reduction in value of the coinage in both silver and gold, with the noble renamed the ''ryal'' and worth 10/- (i.e. 2 to the pound) and the ''angel'' introduced at the noble's old value of 6/8.

The reign of Henry VII saw the introduction of two important coins, the shilling (abbr: ''s''; known as the ''testoon'') in 1487 and the pound (known as the ''sovereign'', abbr: ''£'' or ''L'') in 1489. In 1526, several new denominations of gold coins were added, including the ''crown'' and ''half crown'' worth five shillings (''5/-''), and two shillings and six pence (''2/6'', ''two and six'') respectively. Henry VIII's reign (1509–1547) saw a high level of debasement which continued into the reign of Edward VI (1547–1553). However, this debasement was halted in 1552 and a new silver coinage was introduced, including coins for 1d, 2d, 3d, 4d and 6d, 1/-, 2/6 and 5/-. The reign of Elizabeth I (1558–1603) saw the addition of silver ¾d and 1½d coins, although these denominations did not last. Gold coins included the half crown, crown, angel, half sovereign and sovereign. Elizabeth's reign also saw the introduction of the horse-drawn screw press to produce the first "milled" coins.

Following the succession of the Scottish King James VI to the English throne, a new gold coinage was introduced, including the ''spur ryal'' (15/-), the ''unite'' (20/-) and the ''rose ryal'' (30/-). The ''laurel'', worth 20/-, followed in 1619. The first base metal coins were also introduced, tin and copper farthings. Copper halfpenny coins followed in the reign of Charles I. During the English Civil War, a number of siege coinages were produced, often in unusual denominations.

Following the restoration of the monarchy in 1660, the coinage was reformed, with the ending of production of hammered coins in 1662. The ''guinea'' was introduced in 1663, soon followed by the ½, 2 and 5 guinea coins. The silver coinage consisted of denominations of 1d, 2d, 3d, 4d and 6d, 1/-, 2/6 and 5/-. Due to the widespread export of silver in the 18th century, the production of silver coins gradually came to a halt, with the half crown and crown not issued after the 1750s, the 6d pence and 1/- stopping production in the 1780s. One response was the introduction of the copper 1d and 2d coins and the gold ⅓ guinea (7/-) in 1797. The copper penny was the only one of these coins to survive long.

To alleviate the shortage of silver coins, between 1797 and 1804, the Bank of England counterstamped Spanish dollars (8 reales) and other Spanish and Spanish colonial coins for circulation. A small counterstamp of the King's head was used. Until 1800, these circulated at a rate of 4/9 for 8 reales. After 1800, a rate of 5/- for 8 reales was used. The Bank then issued silver tokens for 5/- (struck over Spanish dollars) in 1804, followed by tokens for 1/6 and 3/- between 1811 and 1816.

In 1816, a new silver coinage was introduced in denominations of 6d, 1/-, 2/6 (half-crown) and 5/- (crown). The crown was only issued intermittently until 1900. It was followed by a new gold coinage in 1817 consisting of 10/- and £1 coins, known as the half sovereign and sovereign. The silver 4d coin was reintroduced in 1836, followed by the 3d ("thruppence") in 1838, with the 4d coin issued only for colonial use after 1855. In 1848, the 2/- ''florin'' was introduced, followed by the short-lived double florin in 1887. In 1860, copper was replaced by bronze in the farthing (quarter penny, ¼d), halfpenny and penny.

During the First World War, production of the half sovereign and sovereign was suspended and, although the gold standard was restored, the coins saw little circulation again. In 1920, the silver standard, maintained at .925 since 1552, was reduced to .500. In 1937, a nickel-brass 3d coin was introduced, with the last silver 3d coins issued seven years later. In 1947, the remaining silver coins were replaced with cupro-nickel. Inflation caused the farthing to cease production in 1956 and be demonetised in 1960. In the run-up to decimalisation, the halfpenny and half-crown were demonetised in 1969.

Decimal coins

British coinage timeline:

1968: The first decimal coins were introduced. These were cupro-nickel 5p and 10p coins which were equivalent to and circulated alongside the 1/- and 2/- coins.

1969: The curved equilateral heptagonal cupro-nickel 50p coin replaced the 10/- note.

1971: The decimal coinage was completed when decimalisation came into effect in 1971 with the introduction of the bronze ½p, 1p and 2p coins and the withdrawal of the 1d and 3d coins.

1980: Withdrawal of 6d coins, which had circulated at a value of 2½p.

1982: The word "new" was dropped from the coinage and a 20p coin was introduced.

1983: A £1 coin was introduced.

1983: The ½p coin was last produced.

1984: The ½p coin was demonetised

1990s: The 5p, 10p and 50p coins became smaller.

1991: The old 1/- coins, which had continued to circulate with a value of 5p, were demonetised in 1991 after the 5p coin became smaller.

1992: Bronze was replaced with copper-plated steel

1993: The 2/- coins were similarly demonetised.

1998: The bi-metallic £2 coin was introduced.

2007: By now the value of copper in the pre-1992 1p/2p coins (which are 97% copper) exceeded the value to such an extent that melting down the coins by entrepreneurs was becoming worthwhile (with a premium of up to 11%, with smelting costs reducing this to around 4%)—although this is illegal, and the market value of copper has subsequently fallen dramatically from these earlier peaks.

At present, the oldest circulating coins in the U.K. are the 1p and 2p copper coins introduced in 1971. Before decimalisation, change could contain coins aged one hundred years or more, with any of five monarchs' heads on the obverse.

In April 2008 an extensive redesign of the coinage was unveiled. The new designs were issued gradually into circulation, starting in summer 2008. The new reverses of the 1p, 2p, 5p, 10p, 20p and 50p coins feature parts of the Royal Shield, and the new pound coin depicts the whole shield. The coins are of the same specifications as those with the old designs (which will continue to circulate).

Banknotes

The first sterling notes were issued by the Bank of England shortly after its foundation in 1694. Denominations were initially written on the notes at the time of issue. From 1745, the notes were printed in denominations between £20 and £1000, with any odd shillings added in hand. £10 notes were added in 1759, followed by £5 in 1793 and £1 and £2 in 1797. The lowest two denominations were withdrawn following the end of the Napoleonic wars. In 1855, the notes were converted to being entirely printed, with denominations of £5, £10, £20, £50, £100, £200, £300, £500 and £1000 issued.

The Bank of Scotland began issuing notes in 1695. Although the pound scots was still the currency of Scotland, these notes were denominated in sterling in values up to £100. From 1727, the Royal Bank of Scotland also issued notes. Both banks issued some notes denominated in guineas as well as pounds. In the 19th century, regulations limited the smallest note issued by Scottish banks to be the £1 denomination, a note not permitted in England.

With the extension of sterling to Ireland in 1825, the Bank of Ireland began issuing sterling notes, later followed by other Irish banks. These notes included the unusual denominations of 30/- and £3. The highest denomination issued by the Irish banks was £100.

In 1826, banks at least from London were given permission to issue their own paper money. From 1844, new banks were excluded from issuing notes in England and Wales but not in Scotland and Ireland. Consequently, the number of private banknotes dwindled in England and Wales but proliferated in Scotland and Ireland. The last English private banknotes were issued in 1921.

In 1914, the Treasury introduced notes for 10/- and £1 to replace gold coins. These circulated until 1928, when they were replaced by Bank of England notes. Irish independence reduced the number of Irish banks issuing sterling notes to five operating in Northern Ireland. The Second World War had a drastic effect on the note production of the Bank of England. Fearful of mass forgery by the Nazis (see Operation Bernhard), all notes for £10 and above ceased production, leaving the bank to issue only 10/-, £1 and £5 notes. Scottish and Northern Irish issues were unaffected, with issues in denominations of £1, £5, £10, £20, £50 and £100.

The Bank of England reintroduced £10 notes in 1964. In 1969, the 10/- note was replaced by the 50p coin as part of the preparation for decimalisation. £20 Bank of England notes were reintroduced in 1970, followed by £50 in 1982. Following the introduction of the £1 coin in 1983, Bank of England £1 notes were withdrawn in 1988. Scottish and Northern Irish banks followed, with only the Royal Bank of Scotland continuing to issue this denomination.

The £5 polymer banknote, issued by Northern Bank in 2000, is the only polymer note currently in circulation, although Northern Bank also produces paper-based £10, £20 and £50 notes and, interestingly, notes named "titan". A titan is a £100,000,000 (one hundred million pound) bank note, of which there are only 40 in existence. Titans are only used within the banking system and are unobtainable by the general public.

Legal tender and regional issues

Legal tender in the UK means (according to the Royal Mint) "that a debtor cannot successfully be sued for non-payment if he pays into court in legal tender." It does not mean that any ordinary transaction has to take place in legal tender or only within the amount denominated by the legislation. Both parties are free to agree to accept any form of payment whether legal tender or otherwise according to their wishes. In order to comply with the very strict rules governing an actual legal tender it is necessary, for example, actually to offer the exact amount due because no change can be demanded.

Throughout the UK, £1 and £2 coins are legal tender for any amount, with the other coins being legal tender only for limited amounts. In England and Wales, Bank of England notes are also legal tender for any amount. In Scotland and Northern Ireland, no banknotes are currently legal tender, although Bank of England 10/- and £1 notes were legal tender, as were Scottish banknotes, during World War II (Currency (Defence) Act 1939; this status was withdrawn on 1 January 1946). However, the banks made deposits with the Bank of England to cover the bulk of their note issues. In the Channel Islands and Isle of Man, the local variations on the banknotes are legal tender in their respective jurisdictions.

Scottish, Northern Irish, Channel Islands and Manx notes can be used anywhere in the UK as a means of payment. Guernsey, Jersey, the Isle of Man are in currency union with the United Kingdom and these currencies are not a separate currency from the British pound but are just a local issue of banknotes and coins denominated in pound sterling.

It is legal for shopkeepers to choose to reject any payment, even if it would be legal tender in that jurisdiction, but not in their interest because no debt exists when the offer of payment is made at the same time as the offer of goods or services. When settling a restaurant bill after consuming the meal, or settling another debt, the laws of legal tender do apply and the payment can not be rejected. But usually any reasonable method of settling the debt (such as by credit card) will be accepted.

Commemorative £5 and 25p (crown) coins, rarely seen in circulation, are legal tender, as are the bullion coins issued by the Mint.

! Coin	! Maximum usable as legal tender
£5 (post-1990 crown)	unlimited
£2	unlimited
£1	unlimited
50p	£10
25p (pre-1990 crown)	£10
20p	£10
10p	£5
5p	£5
2p	20p
1p	20p

Further, any coin or bank note ceases to be legal tender if it is 100× the amount of the debt (for example, offering a £20 note to settle a 20p debt).

Value

In 2006 the House of Commons Library published a document which included an index of prices in pounds for each year between 1750 and 2005, where 1974 was indexed at 100. (This was an update of earlier documents published in 1998 and 2003.)

Regarding the period 1750–1914 the document states: "Although there was considerable year on year fluctuation in price levels prior to 1914 (reflecting the quality of the harvest, wars, etc.) there was not the long-term steady increase in prices associated with the period since 1945". It goes on to say that "Since 1945 prices have risen in every year with an aggregate rise of over 27 times."

The value of the index in 1751 was 5.1, increasing to a peak of 16.3 in 1813 before declining very soon after the end of the Napoleonic Wars to around 10.0 and remaining in the range 8.5–10.0 at the end of the nineteenth century. The index was 9.8 in 1914 and peaked at 25.3 in 1920, before declining to 15.8 in 1933 and 1934—prices were only about three times as high as they had been 180 years earlier.

Inflation had a dramatic effect during and after World War II—the index was 20.2 in 1940, 33.0 in 1950, 49.1 in 1960, 73.1 in 1970, 263.7 in 1980, 497.5 in 1990, 671.8 in 2000 and 757.3 in 2005.

The following table shows the equivalent amount of goods that, in a particular year, could be purchased with £1. The table shows that from 1971 through 2009 the British Pound has lost about 91% of its buying power.

 £1.00  £0.935  £0.855  £0.735  £0.592  £0.510  £0.439  £0.407  £0.358  £0.303

+ Buying power of one British Pound compared to 1971 GBP	! Year	Equivalent  buying power			! Year	Equivalent  buying power	! Year	Equivalent  buying power	! Year	Equivalent  buying power
1971	|	1981	£0.271	1991	£0.152	2001	£0.117
1972	|	1982	£0.250	1992	£0.146	2002	£0.115
1973	|	1983	£0.239	1993	£0.144	2003	£0.112
1974	|	1984	£0.227	1994	£0.141	2004	£0.109
1975	|	1985	£0.214	1995	£0.136	2005	£0.106
1976	|	1986	£0.207	1996	£0.133	2006	£0.102
1977	|	1987	£0.199	1997	£0.123	2007	£0.0980
1978	|	1988	£0.190	1998	£0.125	2008	£0.0943
1979	|	1989	£0.176	1999	£0.123	2009	£0.0952
1980	|	1990	£0.161	2000	£0.119	2010	£0.113

Exchange rate

The pound is freely bought and sold on the foreign exchange markets around the world, and its value relative to other currencies therefore fluctuates. It has been among the highest-valued currency units in the world. As of 20 March 2011, £1 was worth US$1.62, €1.14, ¥131, CHF 1.46, A$1.63, or C$1.60.

Reserve

Sterling is used as a reserve currency around the world and is currently ranked third in value held as reserves.

See also

Angevin pound

Coins of the pound sterling

Economic history of the United Kingdom

Economy of the United Kingdom

Pound (currency)

Notes

References

''The Perspective of the World,'' Vol III of ''Civilisation and Capitalism'', Fernand Braudel, 1984 ISBN 1-84212-289-4 (in French 1979).

''A Retrospective on the Bretton Woods System : Lessons for International Monetary Reform (National Bureau of Economic Research Project Report)'' By Barry Eichengreen (Editor), Michael D. Bordo (Editor) Published by University of Chicago Press (1993) ISBN 0-226-06587-1

''The political pound: British investment overseas and exchange controls past—and future?'' By John Brennan Published By Henderson Administration (1983) ISBN 0-9508735-0-0

''Monetary History of the United States, 1867–1960'' by Milton Friedman, Anna Jacobson Schwartz Published by Princeton University Press (1971) ISBN 0-691-00354-8

''The international role of the pound sterling: Its benefits and costs to the United Kingdom'' By John Kevin Green

''The Financial System in Nineteenth-Century Britain (The Victorian Archives Series,'' By Mary Poovey Published by Oxford University Press (2002) ISBN 0-19-515057-0

''Rethinking our Centralised Monetary System: The Case for a System of Local Currencies'' By Lewis D. Solomon Published by Praeger Publishers (1996) ISBN 0-275-95376-9

''Politics and the Pound: The Conservatives' Struggle With Sterling'' by Philip Stephens Trans-Atlantic Publications (1995) ISBN 0-333-63296-6

''The European Monetary System: Developments and Perspectives (Occasional Paper, No. 73)'' by Horst Ungerer, Jouko J. Hauvonen Published by International Monetary Fund (1990) ISBN 1-55775-172-2

''The floating pound sterling of the nineteen-thirties: An exploratory study'' By J. K Whitaker Dept. of the Treasury (1986)

''World Currency Monitor Annual, 1976–1989: Pound Sterling : The Value of the British Pound Sterling in Foreign Terms'' Published by Mecklermedia (1990) ISBN 0-88736-543-4

External links

Coin Types from Great Britain Lists, pictures, and values of Great Britain coin types

A history of sterling Daily Telegraph

Purchasing Power of British Pounds from 1264 to 2007

Five Ways to Compute the Relative Value of a UK Pound Amount, 1830–present

Images of historic and modern British bank notes

Exchange calculator and historic relationship between Pound sterling and the US dollar

Current wholesale exchange rates between currencies

Category:Circulating currencies Category:Currencies of Europe Category:Currencies of the United Kingdom Category:Numismatics * Category:Currencies of British Overseas Territories

af:Pond sterling ar:جنيه إسترليني an:Libra esterlina ast:Llibra esterlina bn:পাউন্ড স্টার্লিং zh-min-nan:Eng-pōng be:Фунт стэрлінгаў be-x-old:Фунт стэрлінгаў bs:Britanska funta bg:Британска лира ca:Lliura esterlina cs:Libra šterlinků cy:Punt sterling da:Britisk pund de:Pfund Sterling et:Suurbritannia naelsterling el:Στερλίνα es:Libra esterlina eo:Brita pundo eu:Libera esterlina fa:پوند استرلینگ fr:Livre sterling fy:Pûn sterling ga:Punt steirling gd:Punnd Sasannach gl:Libra esterlina ko:영국 파운드 hi:पाउण्ड स्टर्लिंग hr:Britanska funta bpy:পাউন্ড স্টার্লিং id:Pound sterling os:Стерлингты фунт is:Breskt pund it:Sterlina britannica he:לירה שטרלינג jv:Poundsterling ka:გირვანქა სტერლინგი kv:Фунт стерлинг lv:Sterliņu mārciņa lb:Pond-Sterling lt:Svaras sterlingų ln:Kotuta Sterling hu:Font sterling mk:Британска фунта mi:Pāuna mr:ब्रिटिश पाउंड arz:جنيه استيرلينى ms:Paun sterling mn:Фунт стерлинг nl:Pond sterling ja:スターリング・ポンド no:Britisk pund nn:Britisk pund uz:Funt sterling pnb:پاؤنڈ nds:Pund Sterling pl:Funt szterling pt:Libra esterlina ro:Liră sterlină ru:Фунт стерлингов se:Pound sco:Poond sterling simple:Pound sterling sk:Anglická libra sl:Funt šterling sr:Британска фунта sh:Britanska funta fi:Englannin punta sv:Brittiskt pund tl:Libra esterlina ta:பிரித்தானிய பவுண்டு th:ปอนด์สเตอร์ลิง tg:Фунт Стерлинг tr:İngiliz sterlini uk:Фунт стерлінгів ug:پوند ستېرلىڭ vi:Bảng Anh war:Pound sterling wuu:英镑 yi:פונט שטערלינג yo:Pound sterling zh-yue:英鎊 zh:英镑

Name	Frankie Gómez
Realname	Jesús Francisco Gómez
Nickname	Pitbull
Weight	WelterweightLight Welterweight
Height	5 ft 8 in (173 cm)
Reach	74 in (189 cm)
Nationality	American
Birth date	February 04, 1992
Birth place	East Los Angeles, California
Home town	East Los Angeles, California
Style	Orthodox
Total	11
Wins	11
Ko	8
Losses	0
Draws	0
No contests	0 }}

Jesús Francisco Gómez (born February 4, 1992, in East Los Angeles, California), is an undefeated Mexican-American Professional boxer. He's currently signed with Oscar De La Hoya's company Golden Boy Promotions.

Amateur career

Frankie began boxing as an 8-year old and had an outstanding Amateur Record of 120-8. In 2007 he took the Junior Olympic National Championship and Gold at the Cadet World Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan. Gómez won the U-17 2008 Cadet World Championships in the Light Welterweight division. In 2009 he became the U.S.A. Amateur National Champion at age 17 beating National Golden Gloves winner José Benavidez of Phoenix. At the 2009 World Amateur Boxing Championships he went onto win a silver medal after losing to Olympic bronze medalist Roniel Iglesias.

Professional career

Considered America's premiere amateur boxer when he turned Pro, Oscar De La Hoya said of Francisco "I've been watching his career closely for years, and Gómez is one of the best amateur boxers I've seen in a long time. He's (Gómez) a true blue chip prospect, and he has all the tools to become a world champion and a star in this game."

Frankie won his Pro Debut against veteran Clayvonne Howard by 3rd round TKO. His third TKO victim was the Nigerian Akeem Akinbode, the fight took place on FSN's Fight Night Club.

In his first fight with trainer Abel Sanchez, Gómez beat the veteran Jason Davis by first round K.O.

In July 2011, Frankie beat Khadaphi Proctor, the bout was televised on TeleFutura.

Professional record

|- style="margin:0.5em auto; font-size:95%;" |align="center" colspan=8|11 Wins (8 knockouts), 0 Losses , 0 Draw |- style="margin:0.5em auto; font-size:95%;" |align=center style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Res. |align=center style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Record |align=center style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Opponent |align=center style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Type |align=center style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Rd., Time |align=center style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Date |align=center style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Location |align=center style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Notes |-align=center | || ||align=left|TBA | || ? || September 17, 2011 || align=left|Staples Center, Los Angeles, California |align=left| |-align=center |Win || 11-0-0 ||align=left| Adrian Granados |MD || 8 || August 26, 2011 || align=left|UIC Pavilion, Chicago, Illinois, United States |align=left| |-align=center |Win || 10-0-0 ||align=left| Khadaphi Proctor |TKO || 4 (8), (2:25) || July 01, 2011 || align=left|Fantasy Springs Casino, Indio, California |align=left| |-align=center |Win || 9-0-0 ||align=left| Jason Davis |KO || 1 (6), (0:25) || April 28, 2011 || align=left|Club Nokia, Los Angeles, California |align=left| |-align=center |Win || 8-0-0 ||align=left| Jose Alfredo Lugo |UD || 6 (6) || January 14, 2011 || align=left|Fantasy Springs Casino, Indio, California |align=left| |-align=center |Win || 7-0-0 ||align=left| Ramón Montaño |UD || 6 (6) || October 15, 2010 || align=left|Springs Resort Casino, Indio, California |align=left| |-align=center |Win || 6-0-0 ||align=left| Ricardo Calzada |KO || 3 , (1:06) || September 18, 2010 || align=left|Staples Center, Los Angeles, California |align=left| |-align=center |Win || 5-0-0 ||align=left| Ronnie Peterson |KO || 1 , (2:14) || July 31, 2010 || align=left|Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas, Nevada |align=left| |-align=center |Win || 4-0-0 ||align=left| Jaime Orrantia |TKO || 1 , (2:34) || June 24, 2010 || align=left|Club Nokia, Los Angeles, California |align=left| |-align=center |Win || 3-0-0 ||align=left| Akeem Akinbode |TKO || 1 , (0:46) || May 27, 2010 || align=left|Club Nokia, Los Angeles, California |align=left| |-align=center |Win || 2-0-0 || align=left| Ricardo Malfavon |TKO || 2 , (1:06) || April 30, 2010 || align=left|Tropicana Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada |align=left| |-align=center |Win || 1-0-0 || align=left| Clayvonne Howard |TKO || 3 , (2:45) || April 3, 2010 || align=left|Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas, Nevada |align=left|Professional debut for Gomez |-align=center

References

External links

Category:People of Mexican descent Category:American boxers of Mexican descent Category:People from Los Angeles County, California Category:Boxers from California Category:Light-welterweight boxers Category:Light-welterweight boxers Category:Winners of the United States Championship for amateur boxers Category:1992 births Category:Living people

de:Frankie Gomez

playername	Peter Crouch
fullname	Peter James Crouch
height
position	Striker
dateofbirth	January 30, 1981
cityofbirth	Macclesfield
countryofbirth	England
currentclub	Stoke City
youthyears1	1995–1998| youthclubs1 Tottenham Hotspur
years1	1998–2000| clubs1 Tottenham Hotspur | caps1 0 | goals1 0
years2	2000 | clubs2 → Dulwich Hamlet (loan) | caps2 6 | goals2 1
years3	2000 | clubs3 → IFK Hässleholm (loan) | caps3 8 | goals3 3
years4	2000–2001 | clubs4 Queens Park Rangers | caps4 42 | goals4 10
years5	2001–2002 | clubs5 Portsmouth | caps5 37 | goals5 18
years6	2002–2004 | clubs6 Aston Villa | caps6 37 | goals6 6
years7	2003 | clubs7 → Norwich City (loan) | caps7 15 | goals7 4
years8	2004–2005 | clubs8 Southampton | caps8 27 | goals8 12
years9	2005–2008 | clubs9 Liverpool | caps9 85 | goals9 22
years10	2008–2009 | clubs10 Portsmouth | caps10 38 | goals10 11
years11	2009–2011 | clubs11 Tottenham Hotspur | caps11 73 | goals11 12
years12	2011– | clubs12 Stoke City | caps12 0 | goals12 0
nationalyears1	2002–2003 | nationalteam1 England U21
nationalcaps1	6 | nationalgoals1 1
nationalyears2	2006 | nationalteam2 England B
nationalcaps2	1 | nationalgoals2 0
nationalyears3	2005– | nationalteam3 England
nationalcaps3	42 | nationalgoals3 22
club-update	29 August 2011
nationalteam-update	26 February 2011 }}

Peter James Crouch (born 30 January 1981 in Macclesfield, England) is an English footballer who plays as a striker for Premier League club Stoke City and the England national team.

Crouch started his career as a trainee with Tottenham Hotspur. However he failed to make a first team appearance for the club, leaving it in 2000 and playing for several teams including four Premier League clubs – Portsmouth, Aston Villa, Southampton and Liverpool – before returning and finally making his senior Tottenham debut in 2009. He was the second top-scorer in the 2006–07 Champions League season, behind AC Milan's Kaká.

Early life

Crouch was born in Macclesfield, Cheshire, but his family moved to Singapore when he was one year old, where they stayed for three years before returning to Great Britain and settling in London. A keen footballer from an early age, he became a ball boy at the age of ten. As a child, he attended some Chelsea games. Later, he told the Liverpool official website that despite this, he and his friends at the time were fans of Queens Park Rangers. He attended North Ealing Primary School and Drayton Manor High School in Hanwell.

Club career

Crouch signed a professional contract with Tottenham Hotspur on 2 July 1998, after having played for their youth side. However, he did not make any appearances for their first team and was loaned out to other clubs, having brief spells at Dulwich Hamlet in the Isthmian League and, in the summer of 2000, IFK Hässleholm in Sweden.

QPR and Portsmouth

On 28 July 2000, Tottenham sold Crouch to Queens Park Rangers (QPR) for £60,000. He made an immediate impression with QPR, scoring ten league goals in the 2000–01 season, but it was not enough to prevent the team's relegation to the Second Division.

Relegation meant that QPR had to sell many of their best players to support their diminished finances, and Portsmouth bought Crouch from them for £1.25 million. Crouch scored 18 league goals in 37 starts for Portsmouth – benefiting from the crossing of Robert Prosinečki – and that in a side that for much of the season looked destined for mid-table mediocrity.

Aston Villa

In March 2002, FA Premier League side Aston Villa made a successful £5 million bid for Crouch. He scored on his home debut for Villa, the equalising goal against Newcastle United, and managed to net twice in seven games. However, Crouch failed to hold down a regular place in the Aston Villa side in the following 2002–03 season.

Looking for first team football, he was loaned to Norwich City from September to December 2003. Although he scored only four times in 15 appearances, he was highly impressive and remains popular with Norwich City supporters. So popular, in fact, he had a song made up about him ("He's tall, he's lean, he's a freaky goal machine"). Crouch was sent off for retaliation during Norwich's 3–1 win at Walsall, but nonetheless his spell at Norwich renewed interest in his abilities from other clubs. At the end of the three-month loan he returned to Aston Villa, and scored a brace against Leicester City, a late winner at Middlesbrough and the opener at Bolton. Norwich City recognised his contribution to the 2003–04 season that saw them win the First Division Championship by awarding him a championship medal. He was presented with the medal on the pitch prior to City's match against his new club Southampton at Carrow Road in November 2004. When he came on as substitute for Southampton later that afternoon, he received a very good reception from the home crowd.

Villa sold Crouch in July 2004 to Southampton for a fee of £2.5 million. Crouch signed a four-year deal with Southampton. He scored just six goals in 37 Premiership games for Aston Villa.

Southampton

Despite initially being back-up to first choice strikers James Beattie and Kevin Phillips, Harry Redknapp's arrival and the sale of Beattie saw Crouch become the main attacking focus of the Southampton team. He scored many key goals in Southampton's relegation battle, including memorable goals against Liverpool in a 2–0 home win, Arsenal in a 1–1 home draw and 2 away to Middlesbrough in a 3–1 victory. He also scored a late winning penalty to knock former club and Saints' arch-rival Portsmouth out of the FA Cup. His form for the Saints eventually resulted in him receiving his first England call up. After scoring 16 goals in 33 appearances during the 2004–05 season, his future was cast into doubt when Southampton were relegated from the English Premiership. On 19 July 2005, Southampton agreed to sell Crouch for £7 million to Liverpool, on a four-year contract.

Liverpool

Crouch underwent intense media scrutiny due to a goal drought during his first months at Liverpool. For 19 games, spanning four months, he was unable to score. Crouch was praised for other facets of his game, such as his touch on the ball, but his first goal for the club evaded him. The fact that Crouch possessed "good touch for a big man" in fact became something of a media cliché during this time. Early in his Liverpool career the supporters composed a new chant; "He's big, he's red, his feet stick out the bed, Peter Crouch, Peter Crouch."

The drought finally ended on 3 December 2005 when he scored against Wigan Athletic. Although this first goal was originally given as an own goal, it was later awarded to Crouch on appeal; he went on to score a second goal in the same game. Prior to these goals, Crouch had played over 24 hours of football for Liverpool without scoring. In addition to this, he also had to deal with unpleasant taunts from crowds at matches, as he had throughout his footballing career, who often chanted "freak" at him due to his unusual height.

He went on to score several goals that season, including the only goal in the fifth round of the FA Cup against Manchester United, Liverpool's first victory over them in the FA Cup post-World War II. On 13 May, he helped Liverpool to win the 2006 FA Cup final against West Ham, providing a crucial assist for Steven Gerrard to score the second Liverpool goal.

Three months later, in the curtain-raiser to the 2006–07 season, he headed the winning goal for Liverpool in the club's 2–1 victory over Chelsea in the FA Community Shield. In their 2006–07 UEFA Champions League campaign he scored his first goals in European club competition. On 13 January 2007, he scored two goals in an away game against Watford, the first time he had scored twice in an away league game for Liverpool. Crouch sustained a broken nose when playing against Sheffield United in February 2007. Although he played in some subsequent games, on 9 March 2007 it was announced that he would undergo surgery on the injury which would keep him out of football for a month. On 31 March, he returned to action after the operation and scored the first hat-trick of his club career, against Arsenal in a 4–1 Liverpool victory. This was also a so-called "perfect hat-trick", consisting of goals scored from his right foot, left foot and head.

He later participated in the 2007 UEFA Champions League Final, coming on as a substitute for Javier Mascherano. He ended the 2006–07 season as Liverpool's top goalscorer in all competitions, with eighteen goals. At the start of the 2007–08 season he had restricted opportunities to play for Liverpool due to the arrival of other strikers, but scored against Toulouse in a Champions League qualifying win in August, his eighth goal in his past ten appearances in that competition, and then also scoring the first and last goals of an 8–0 win over Beşiktaş in the first round of the Champions League in November. This match is now the highest margin by which a team has won in the Champions League. In April, he scored a vital goal in a 1–1 draw against Arsenal, helping Liverpool maintain fourth spot against rivals Everton.

Return to Portsmouth

On 7 July 2008, it was announced that Crouch had verbally agreed to join former club and FA Cup holders Portsmouth in a deal worth up to £11 million. Crouch passed his medical the following day, and, on 11 July, Crouch's transfer was officially unveiled at a Portsmouth news conference. Portsmouth paid £9 million up front, with up to £2m to be added dependent on various targets being reached. He was given the number 9 shirt by manager Harry Redknapp, which he had previously worn during his first spell at the club. On 30 August 2008 Crouch scored his first goal since his return to Portsmouth in his third Premiership appearance, against Everton at Goodison Park. As with his first score for Liverpool there was a degree of uncertainty as to whether he would be credited with the goal as it appeared Jermain Defoe's chip had crossed the goal-line before Crouch scored from the follow-up. On 3 September it was confirmed that the goal would be officially credited to Crouch and not Defoe. Crouch then went on to net his first goal at Portsmouth's Fratton Park home ground in the Premier League against Tottenham Hotspur on 28 September.

On 2 October 2008 Crouch scored twice in extra time in a UEFA Cup match away to Vitória Guimarães to help Portsmouth reach the group stages of the competition. He went on to score twice against SC Heerenveen in a 3–0 victory at Fratton Park.

Return to Tottenham Hotspur

On 27 July 2009, Tottenham Hotspur announced the signing of Crouch from Portsmouth for a fee of £10 million, on a five-year contract. Crouch made his debut for Spurs in a pre-season friendly against Olympiakos, and came on as a substitute in Tottenham's season opening win over Liverpool, making his full Premier League debut for the club in the process. He scored his first goal for Spurs in the Carling Cup tie against Doncaster in a 5–1 win on 26 August 2009. He scored again in his next game, opening his league account with Spurs with a goal in a 2–1 home win against Birmingham City. On 23 September, Crouch scored his first hat-trick for Spurs in a 5–1 win over Preston in the Carling Cup. In May, his late goal against Manchester City in what was being dubbed as the "£15 million pound game" put Spurs in a position to claim their first-ever UEFA Champions League berth. After having hit the post and missed an Assou-Ekotto cross, Crouch scored a header after Márton Fülöp could only parry the ball into his path.

On 25 August 2010, he scored a hat-trick at White Hart Lane against Young Boys to help Tottenham to reach the Group Stage of the UEFA Champions League. On 15 February 2011, Crouch scored what turned out to be the winning goal in the UEFA Champions League second round, first leg match against Italian team A.C. Milan at the San Siro, sweeping home Aaron Lennon's cut-back after a counter-attack. Three weeks later, Spurs progressed to the quarter-finals after the reverse game at White Hart Lane ended 0–0. On 5 April, he was sent off in the 14th minute after receiving two yellow cards in the quarter-finals against Real Madrid. He scored an own goal against Manchester City, which consequently confirmed Manchester City into the Champions League for the 2011–12 season with Tottenham missing out.

Stoke City

On 31 August 2011, Stoke City announced the signing of Crouch from Tottenham for a fee of £10 million (which could rise to £12m dependent on the fulfilment of various clauses) on a four-year contract. Speaking after sealing his move to the Britannia Stadium, Crouch revealed that his former Tottenham Hotspur colleague Jonathan Woodgate was a major influence upon his decision to join Stoke.

International career

Youth international

Crouch was capped for the England Under-20 team at the 1999 FIFA World Youth Championship, with team-mates including Stuart Taylor, Ashley Cole, Andrew Johnson and Matthew Etherington. However, the team finished bottom at the group stage, with three losses and having scored no goals. He was later a part of David Platt's England Under-21 team, which went to the finals of the European Under–21 Championship in Switzerland in May 2002, where he scored once.

Breakthrough into senior team

In May 2005 he was handed his first call-up to the England senior squad by manager Sven-Göran Eriksson for the team's tour of the United States, making his debut against Colombia. He went on to make two appearances during the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign for England: starting against Austria in a 1–0 victory and coming on as a substitute against Poland in a 2–1 win. In the latter appearance, Crouch's introduction as a second-half substitute was booed by England's own supporters.

On 1 March 2006 he scored his first goal for England, the equaliser in a 2–1 friendly win over Uruguay. He did this whilst bizarrely wearing two different squad numbers on his shirt – No. 21 on the front (his designated squad number for the match), and the incorrect No. 12 on the back.

In May 2006 Crouch was included in the 23-man England squad for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, and was expected to be a significant figure in the team due to Wayne Rooney's foot injury. On 30 May he played in a pre-World Cup friendly against Hungary, scoring the third goal in England's 3–1 win. He followed his goal with an unusual robotic dancing-style goal celebration – see below. On 3 June he again played for England in a pre-World Cup friendly against Jamaica, scoring a hat-trick. Between his second and third goals he took a penalty kick hoping to gain a hat-trick, but he put the ball over the bar. England went on to win 6–0, Crouch securing his hat-trick in the 89th minute with a fine finish – his fifth goal in three England games.

2006 World Cup

After his displays in England's friendlies, Crouch partnered Michael Owen in attack for England's opening 2006 World Cup game against Paraguay on 10 June 2006. England won the game 1–0 and Crouch kept his place in the starting line-up for the following match against Trinidad and Tobago, against whom he scored his first competitive international goal. The goal provoked some controversy as replays showed Crouch to be pulling on Brent Sancho's long hair, holding the defender down, to gain an advantage.

Crouch was rested for England's third group game against Sweden as Rooney returned from injury to join the starting line-up. However, Owen suffered a serious knee injury in the opening minute of the game and Crouch replaced him, playing the remainder of the match.

In England's 1–0 second round victory against Ecuador, Crouch remained an unused substitute as Eriksson switched the team to a new formation with Wayne Rooney as a lone striker. However, after Rooney's dismissal for a foul in England's quarter-final against Portugal, Crouch came on as a substitute for Joe Cole.

On 5 September 2007, retired English referee Graham Poll claimed that FIFA had specifically warned referees at the event to pay close attention to Crouch, claiming that "he's a real pain and he's getting away with too much."

Euro 2008 qualifying

Crouch remained a part of the England set-up under Eriksson's successor as manager, Steve McClaren, and started McClaren's first game in charge, a friendly against Greece in August 2006. He scored twice in England's 4–0 victory. Two further goals followed in England's next match, a 5–0 win over Andorra in their opening qualifying match for the 2008 European Championships on 2 September 2006. Contemporary reports suggested that Crouch was the first player ever to reach ten goals for England within a single calendar year. In fact, this had happened several times pre-World War II, most recently by Dixie Dean (12 goals in 1927) and George Camsell (11 goals in 1929). He added a further goal to his tally with the winner in England's 1–0 qualifying victory away to Macedonia on 6 September. An operation needed for a nose injury he sustained playing for Liverpool prevented him from playing in England's two qualifying matches in March 2007. He returned to the England squad for their games against Brazil and Estonia in late May and early June 2007, scoring in the qualifying game against the latter.

Crouch was England's top scorer in the qualifying campaign with five goals, but this did not prevent England finishing only third in their group and failing to progress to the finals of the competition.

Capello era

On 1 April 2009, Crouch made his first start under McClaren's successor, Fabio Capello, in a 2010 World Cup qualifier against Ukraine. He scored England's first goal in their 2–1 victory.

Crouch was re-called to the England squad for the friendly against Slovenia and the World Cup qualifier versus Croatia, following his fine form for Tottenham.

Crouch also got an early first half goal against Belarus in the final 2010 World Cup qualifier, which he then followed up with a second goal in the 74th minute. This took Crouch's tally for England up to 18 goals in just 17 starts. Crouch scored a brace after coming on as a substitute against Egypt in a friendly on 3 March 2010 to take his overall international goal tally to 20. He also scored the second goal for England against Mexico at Wembley on 24 May 2010.

2010 World Cup

Crouch was named in Capello's final 23-man squad for the 2010 World Cup and was given the number 9 shirt. He came on as a substitute for Emile Heskey in England's opening match against the United States and also came off the bench for Gareth Barry in the following match against Algeria. Crouch did not take part in the final group stage game with Slovenia or the 4–1 loss to Germany in the last-16.

Crouch came on as a substitute in the home friendly against France for the injured Steven Gerrard on 17 November. He immediately scored from an Ashley Young corner to make the score 1–2 with an angled side-footed volley. It was his second touch of the ball.

International goals

''Scores and results list England's goal tally first.'' Anfield 30 May 2006 rowspan="3" 15 June 2006 rowspan="2" rowspan="2" 6 September 2006 6 June 2007 16 November 2007 21 November 2007 1 April 2009 10 June 2009 rowspan="2" rowspan="2" 24 May 2010 17 November 2010

Crouch – goals for England
# !! Date !! Venue !! Opponent !! Score !! Result !! Competition
align=center	1	1 March 2006	Liverpool, England ||		1–1	2–1	Friendly match
align=center	2	|	Old Trafford>Manchester, England		3–1	3–1	Friendly match
align=center	3	3 June 2006 || rowspan="3"|Manchester, England ||		3–0	6–0	Friendly match
align=center	4	5–0
align=center	5	6–0
align=center	6	|	Frankenstadion>Nuremberg, Germany		1–0	2–0	2006 FIFA World Cup
align=center	7	16 August 2006 || rowspan="2"|Manchester, England ||		3–0	4–0	Friendly match
align=center	8	4–0
align=center	9	2 September 2006 || rowspan="2"|Manchester, England ||		1–0	5–0	rowspan="2"
align=center	10	5–0
align=center	11	|	Skopje, Republic of Macedonia>Macedonia		1–0	1–0	UEFA Euro 2008 Qual
align=center	12	|	Tallinn, Estonia		2–0	3–0	UEFA Euro 2008 Qual.
align=center	13	|	Vienna, Austria		1–0	1–0	Friendly match
align=center	14	|	Wembley Stadium>Wembley, England		2–2	2–3	UEFA Euro 2008 Qual.
align=center	15	|	Wembley Stadium>Wembley, England		1–0	2–1	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification>World Cup 2010 Qual.
align=center	16	|	Wembley Stadium>Wembley, England		6–0	6–0	World Cup 2010 Qual.
align=center	17	14 October 2009 || rowspan="2"|Wembley, England ||		1–0	3–0	World Cup 2010 Qual.
align=center	18	3–0
align=center	19	3 March 2010 || rowspan="2"|Wembley, England ||		1–1	3–1	Friendly match
align=center	20	3–1
align=center	21	|	Wembley Stadium>Wembley, England		2–0	3–1	Friendly Match
align=center	22	|	Wembley Stadium>Wembley, England		1–2	1–2	Friendly Match

Personality as a footballer

Nicknames

Although generally known as "Crouchy", other nicknames he has been given by fans and the media in England have included "RoboCrouch" and "Crouchinho" (a parody of Ronaldinho), despite "Crouchinho" translating from Portuguese as "little Crouch". He has been also referred to as "Mr. Roboto" by Univision's commentators and as "Pantera Rosa" ("Pink Panther") by Fox Sports en Español commentators. Mark Lawrenson announced on ''Match of the Day'' that his nickname was "coathanger, apparently".

Robotic dancing

In the summer of 2006, Crouch adopted a robotic dancing goal celebration. A parody of a dance he had been seen performing on a television programme covering a party held at England team-mate David Beckham's house, he first performed it after his goal for England against Hungary on 30 May. He again performed the dance after both of his first two goals against Jamaica on 3 June. The ''Daily Mirror'' newspaper claimed that the dance was inspired by the lyrics to the Arctic Monkeys' hit single "I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor".

On 12 June, Crouch announced he would only perform his robotic dance again if England were to win the World Cup, saying "It's not about robotic dancing. It is about scoring goals and winning matches. It's an important time for everyone now." In September 2006, he was quoted in ''The Observer'' newspaper as saying that: "It was funny at the time, but I didn't want to carry on doing it until it became unfunny. I've stopped doing it for the time being, but if I ever score a really big goal you never know."

On 6 August 2007, Crouch insisted that he would never use the Robot dance again unless he scored in the UEFA Champions League Final. On 1 April 2009, however, Crouch partially reprised the celebration after scoring during England's World Cup qualifier against Ukraine after a Comic Relief sketch.

Personal life

Crouch had dated Abigail Clancy for a period before Crouch announced in 2007 that the two were not a couple. Subsequently, Clancy and Crouch announced their engagement on 15 July 2009. Abbey Clancy gave birth to a baby girl named Sophia Ruby on 14 March 2011.

Crouch and Clancy were married on Thursday, 30 June 2011.

Career statistics

Club

0 0 1 3 10 18 2 0 4 4 12 8 9 5 11 8 4 0 0

Club	Season	League	FA Cup	League Cup	Europe	Total
!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals
rowspan="3" valign="center"	Tottenham Hotspur		0	|	0	0	0	0	–		0	0
1999–2000 Tottenham Hotspur F.C. season	1999–00	0	|	0	0	0	0	–		0	0
!Total	!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0
rowspan="2" valign="center"	Dulwich Hamlet (loan)		6	|	0	0	–		–		6	1
!Total	!6!!1!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!6!!1
rowspan="2" valign="center"	IFK Hässleholm (loan)		8	|	0	0	–		–		8	3
!Total	!8!!3!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!8!!3
rowspan="2" valign="center"	Queens Park Rangers		42	|	3	2	2	0	–		47	12
!Total	!42!!10!!3!!2!!2!!0!!0!!0!!47!!12
rowspan="2" valign="center"	Portsmouth		37	|	1	0	1	1	–		39	19
!Total	!37!!18!!1!!0!!1!!1!!0!!0!!39!!19
rowspan="4" valign="center"	Aston Villa		7	|	0	0	0	0	0	0	7	2
2002–03 Aston Villa F.C. season	2002–03	14	|	0	0	0	0	4	0	18	0
2003–04 Aston Villa F.C. season	2003–04	16	|	0	0	2	0	0	0	18	4
!Total	!37!!6!!0!!0!!2!!0!!4!!0!!43!!6
rowspan="2" valign="center"	Norwich City (loan)		15	|	0	0	0	0	–		15	4
!Total	!15!!4!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!15!!4
rowspan="2" valign="center"	Southampton		27	|	5	4	1	0	–		33	16
!Total	!27!!12!!5!!4!!1!!0!!0!!0!!33!!16
rowspan="4" valign="center"	Liverpool		32	|	6	3	1	0	10	2	49	13
2006–07 Liverpool F.C. season	2006–07	32	|	1	0	1	1	15	8	49	18
2007–08 Liverpool F.C. season	2007–08	21	|	4	2	3	0	8	4	36	11
!Total	!85!!22!!11!!5!!5!!1!!33!!14!!134!!42
rowspan="2" valign="center"	Portsmouth		38	|	3	1	1	0	7	4	49	16
!Total	!38!!11!!3!!1!!1!!0!!7!!4!!49!!16
rowspan="4" valign="center"	Tottenham Hotspur		38	|	1	1	3	4	–		42	13
2010–11 Tottenham Hotspur F.C. season	2010–11	34	|	1	0	0	0	10	7	45	11
2011–12 Tottenham Hotspur F.C. season	2011–12	1	|	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
!Total	!73!!12!!2!!1!!3!!4!!10!!7!!88!!24
rowspan="2" valign="center"	Stoke City		0	|	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
!Total	!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0
Career Total	!368!!99!!25!!13!!15!!6!!54!!25!!462!!143

International

''As of September 2011''

|- |2005||4||0 |- |2006||12||11 |- |2007||8||3 |- |2008||6||0 |- |2009||6||4 |- |2010||6||4 |- !Total||42||22 |}

Honours

;Norwich City

Football League First Division champions: 2003–04

;Liverpool

FA Cup winners: 2006

Community Shield winners: 2006

References and notes

External links

Official Tottenham Hotspur profile

Peter Crouch Profile & Statistics from Yahoo Eurosport UK

Career information at ex-canaries.co.uk

Category:1981 births Category:People from Macclesfield Category:Living people Category:Association football forwards Category:English footballers Category:England under-21 international footballers Category:England B international footballers Category:England international footballers Category:English expatriate footballers Category:Tottenham Hotspur F.C. players Category:Dulwich Hamlet F.C. players Category:Queens Park Rangers F.C. players Category:Portsmouth F.C. players Category:Aston Villa F.C. players Category:Norwich City F.C. players Category:Southampton F.C. players Category:Liverpool F.C. players Category:Premier League players Category:The Football League players Category:2006 FIFA World Cup players Category:2010 FIFA World Cup players Category:England youth international footballers Category:Stoke City F.C. players

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