Pence, Penny, Pennyworth - Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words
Pence, Penny, Pennyworth
[ 1,,G1220, denarion ]a Roman coin, a denarius, a little less than the value of the Greek drachme (See PIECE), now estimated as amounting to about 9 1/2d. in the time of our Lord, occurs in the singular, e.g., Matthew 20:2; Matthew 22:19; Mark 12:15; Revelation 6:6; in the plural, e.g., Matthew 18:28; Mark 14:5; Luke 7:41; Luke 10:35; John 12:5; pennyworth" in Mark 6:37; John 6:7, lit., "(loaves of two hundred) pence." Considering the actual value, "shilling" would have been a more accurate translation, as proposed by the American translators, retaining "penny" for the as, and "farthing" for the quadrans.