Real coins·11 May 2026·4 min read
The guinea — the coin that named a price
Struck from gold brought from Guinea, the English coin lived on in language long after it left pockets.
The guinea was an English gold coin (17th–18th centuries), named after the African region the gold came from. It was worth about one pound and a shilling.
The "elegant" price
Even after the coin disappeared, "luxury" prices — horses, paintings, professional fees — were still quoted in guineas as a mark of prestige. An example of how a coin can survive as a cultural symbol.
