Explain the circumstances?

[detective]

Explain the circumstances in which you would be most likely to have a chained portcullis in your possession?

[squarebear]

If it was on a 1 pence piece.

[Dustybun]

or on your family's coat of arms!! ;0)

[squarebear]

.. or if you had just been to the library and brought back a book about old castles :-)

[paddywak]

I think it was the old three penny piece, not the penny

[Aquagility]

Just checked - it's on the penny.

[paddywak]

appologies squarebear. I had a monentary lapse back to chidhood and forgot about the new coinage

[Melliexr]

Paddywak - you're not wrong. The one pence piece has almost exactly the same design of chains and portcullis as the brass "threepenny bit". Only the crown on top is different.

[paddywak]

I remember the old threepenny bit well, when I was a kid if I'd got one in my pocket I thought Id a fortune to spend. I'd just forgot about these newfangled coins pinching it's design from proper money