subs. (old).A guinea: America, a 10 dollar piece. HALF A NED = half a guinea or 5 dollar piece. Also NEDDY. See CANARY.
1754. POULTER, The Discoveries of John Poulter, 41. They ask change for a NED or six.
1789. G. PARKER, Lifes Painter, The Happy Pair. With spunk lets post our NEDDIES.
1859. G. W. MATSELL, Vocabulum; or, The Rogues Lexicon, s.v. HALF A NED. A 5 dollar gold piece.
1882. J. D. MCCABE, New York by Sunlight and Gaslight, xxxiv., 510, s.v.
2. See NEDDY.