40 years ago today ...

[Storer68]

Tosh

6d equalled 2 1/2 new pence

1 shilling equalled 5 pence

half a crown was 12 1/2 p

1 guinea was £1.05

If you wanted to survive in the fifties and sixties you would have to know about the old money system of pounds, shillings and pence:


four farthings made a penny (1d); twelve pence made a shilling (1s or 1/-) or 'bob' as in 'bob a job'; five shillings made a crown, although there was no such thing except on special occasions, such as to mark the Queen's Coronation in 1953, the death of Sir Winston Churchill in 1965 and for no apparent reason in 1960; you could have spent a half crown - that's 2/6 (two shillings and six pence); 20 shillings made a pound and there were notes for 10 shillings as well.

So there were 240d (that's pence) in £1 that's 12 (pence in a shilling) x 20 (shillings in a pound) - easy isn't it? I don't know why they ever changed it! If you needed to add up in pounds, shillings and pence you needed three columns.

 

[BensGrandad]

I might not be able to remember the exact date of decimalisation but I do know that this isn't true. There was a jingle in the pre-decimalisation public info films (sung by The Scaffold) that exhorted us to "use your old coppers in six penny lots" as that equated to 2.5p exactly. It wasn't until August of that year that pennies and threepenny bits ceased to be legal tender
.

I agree with you we accepted .old currency for some time after the actual day but I couldnt remember for how long and until August sound about right (6 months) gradually they fazed out the old 3d joeys and pennies. In 2001 we did a night at our pub in Midhurst at 1971 prices if paid for in pre decimal money, it was a very busy night so a lot of money had been retained for some years..

 

[GT49er]

The old sixpences lasted a bit longer - they were equivalent to 2 1/2 (new) pence - while we had half pences, that is!

There were 960 farthings to the pound - but if you wanted to piss somebody off by proffering them a bucket of farthings to pay a bill, they could refuse to accept it - copper coins were only legal tender up to one shilling (five pence)!

 

[Alex Alex Dawson oo! oo!]

I agree with you we accepted .old currency for some time after the actual day but I couldnt remember for how long and until August sound about right (6 months) gradually they fazed out the old 3d joeys and pennies. In 2001 we did a night at our pub in Midhurst at 1971 prices if paid for in pre decimal money, it was a very busy night so a lot of money had been retained for some years..

The King's Head pub/theatre in Upper High Street, Islington used to (maybe still does) charge across the bar in pre-decimal prices all the time. It had the old tills and you could certainly "spend" sixpences there; the look of astonishment on the faces of the unwairy when the round came to something like eleven pounds, seventeen shillings and fourpence halfpenny was a joy to behold. I went on a stag night in the '80s for which we got hold of all the old coinage and some 10/- notes etc.

 

[Gwylan]

The King's Head pub/theatre in Upper High Street, Islington used to (maybe still does) charge across the bar in pre-decimal prices all the time. It had the old tills and you could certainly "spend" sixpences there; the look of astonishment on the faces of the unwairy when the round came to something like eleven pounds, seventeen shillings and fourpence halfpenny was a joy to behold. I went on a stag night in the '80s for which we got hold of all the old coinage and some 10/- notes etc.

It was still counting in old money in 1992 (the last time I was in there) but I've heard that things have changed since then and it's joined the mainstream. Perhaps a north London NSCer can confirm

 

[Cian]

And unsurprisingly, the very same happened across Europe during the switch to the Euro !!! One reason, of many, to stay out of the Euro.

And its taken a horrendous recession to bring prices BACK to 2001+reasonble inflation levels for a lot of things.

 

[Freddie Goodwin.]

I've not read all the thread but Gross cash registers were working 24hr/day in the build up to D Day.

I worked for them some years later and managed to grab some old photo's of factory life that were due for the skips.

 

[Nottseagull]

a 9 old pence Christmas card cost 9P the next year, same with fireworks - a sixpenny firework was 6P a year later. 240% inflation!

Those increases are both 120%. Your calculation was also inflationary

 

[Alex Alex Dawson oo! oo!]

The old sixpences lasted a bit longer - they were equivalent to 2 1/2 (new) pence - while we had half pences, that is!

There were 960 farthings to the pound - but if you wanted to piss somebody off by proffering them a bucket of farthings to pay a bill, they could refuse to accept it - copper coins were only legal tender up to one shilling (five pence)!

Both 1p and 2p coins are only legal tender currently in amounts not exceeding 20p.

 

[Gwylan]

Those increases are both 120%. Your calculation was also inflationary

Now it actually IS the anniversary of D-Day it's my turn to be pedantic - the two increases are both 140% (9d in 1970 becomes 21.6d in 1971, an increase of 12.6, which is 140% of 9)

 

[Nottseagull]

Now it actually IS the anniversary of D-Day it's my turn to be pedantic - the two increases are both 140% (9d in 1970 becomes 21.6d in 1971, an increase of 12.6, which is 140% of 9)

You are quite right, Gwylan.
Damn that GT49er!

 

[GT49er]

Still a damn sight too much!

 

[Nottseagull]

The "Godless" Florin. The first decimal (one tenth of a pound) coin introduced in Britain in 1849

As this coin equalled 96 farthings, they should have made the florin the new unit of currency, with all the existing farthings being redesignated as new pence, of which there would have been 100 to the florin. So, a guinea for example could have been written as Fl.10/50np. Good idea, eh? (although a little late.....)