English Sterling

About English Sterling

The English silver penny of the Norman and Plantagenet kings, renowned for its consistent silver content. The term sterling became synonymous with quality and reliability. Easterlings, German merchants, were credited with improving English coinage, possibly giving sterling its name. The penny sterling was 92.5 percent silver, a standard known as sterling silver that is still used in jewelry today. The British pound is formally called pound sterling from these coins.