it was fifty years ago today! who can remember decimal day?

[existentialist]

A crown was 5 shillings and there was a half crown as well.

A half crown, earlier...

 

[two sheds]

That is absurd. The closest I've gotten to this nonsense was that time I found a half-penny. What the fuck would you buy with a half-penny? A quarter of a fizzy cola bottle?

a gob stopper

 

[skyscraper101]

When i was in america a few years back where they still have dollar notes they were a fucking pain when you got them in your change everywhere. I think i prefer coins.

I disagree. In fact it was when I was living in America that made me realise it's better having the base unit or currency in paper rather than coins which are just annoying, expensive to manufacture, heavy, fall out of pockets, and scratch up my phone and sunglasses.

 

[Steel Icarus]

I disagree. In fact it was when I was living in America that made me realise it's better having the base unit or currency in paper rather than coins which are just annoying, expensive to manufacture, heavy, fall out of pockets, and scratch up my phone and sunglasses.

In New York I inadvertently gave several subway tokens - worth $1.50 apiece - to a busker, thinking they were cents or whatever

 

[Sasaferrato]

I was working on a petrol station forecourt at the time, did simplify things somewhat. Farthings were nice with the little wren on them. Have said elsewhere that my favourites were silver 3d and 6d, lovely little coins. Don't remember them from the time though, Sasaferrato might (grrrrrr got beaten to the joke)

View attachment 254461

My mum got the Daily Mail at the time and a remember a letter from a little old person saying that they kept hearing that it was only old people who would be confused by the new system, but don't they realize that PEOPLE ARE GROWING OLD ALL THE TIME

Farthings were struck until 1956, so there were QEII farthings.

 

[two sheds]

I disagree. In fact it was when I was living in America that made me realise it's better having the base unit or currency in paper rather than coins which are just annoying, expensive to manufacture, heavy, fall out of pockets, and scratch up my phone and sunglasses.

Yes but not with $1 bill the same size and colour as $100 bill who the fuck decided that?

 

[two sheds]

Farthings were struck until 1956, so there were QEII farthings.

Yes I think I have some - as I say, the wren was soooo sweet.

 

[WouldBe]

Born in 72 so i don't remember schillings etc but i do remember half pence coins and pound notes. Also the coins used to say "new pence" on them.

You wouldn't as Schillings were Austrian.

 

[skyscraper101]

Yes but not with $1 bill the same size and colour as $100 bill who the fuck decided that?

Oh I totally agree there. Same coloured notes are ridic. In fact paper notes seem well dated compared to the polymer ones these days.

 

[Sasaferrato]

Throughout the ´70s the elder and parental generation could be reguarly be heard commenting on the price of things with an outraged, "That´s nine shillings in the old money!"

I still do it. 'Thirteen shillings for a can of Coke?'.

 

[isvicthere?]

I was born in '63, so I was just old enough to learn all about the prevailing currency and then have to learn the new one. Fortunately, I was a proper nerd, and loved the whole thing (including metrication, which was going on alongside). I thought the new system was fascinating, but ultimately disappointing - the charts of pennies-in-the-pound, etc were a lot more interesting before the change.

From my recollection, 50p coins were doing the rounds as early as 1969, possibly earlier - at the tender age of 5, my means did not extend to such vast sums.

There was a commemorative set of the new coins, which I deeply coveted, but was likewise far out of reach. And I recall them swapping out all the Lsd plastic money in the play shop for new money. I also recall being completely baffled at people's confusion and resistance to the change.

Meanwhile, I was learning every metric-to-imperial conversion factor off by heart

I seem to recall the Two New Pence coin being introduced ahead of actual Decimal Day and a kid l knew being keen on collecting them.

 

[Sasaferrato]

A half crown, earlier...
View attachment 254483

A half crown was the noblest of coins. It had weight and gravitas. You felt as if you really had money when you had a half crown.

 

[isvicthere?]

Farthings and silver thruppenny bits were before my time, although my father had some in his coin collection, the farthing was out of circulation and the thruppenny bits had turned bronze (see above).

IIRC the farthing had been stopped in 1964.

 

[StoneRoad]

Oh, yeah.

I remember £ s d instead of £ p ... and I remember Decimalisation Day

It was a wonderfully eccentric system, with loads of different coins for various denominations. Florins, half-crowns ...
My mother was able to outdo my father in adding up pages of subscriptions when he was doing audits for the union - she had plenty of practice with dinner monies and before that in the civil service - and always in her head !

I had a half-crown a week pocket money, that usually disappeared as it was very easily spent. It was 1/6 for the two buses home if I missed the coach and if I wanted a paperback I had to save up - most of them were 3/6 and a hardback could be 16/- or more. Grass-cutting and washing cars for the neighbours was a good source of extra funds, as I recall. A bit like a private Bob-a-job scheme ! I must admit my father often supplemented the book frenzy by buying me extra books, usually loosely related to educational subjects.

Gold Guineas and half-guineas were the largest values I ever handled - given as to me as presents or prizes and rewards.

I do remember the disappointment with the new coins, and the frequency with which ha'pennies were rounded up. Market stalls and sweet shops usually seemed to be the worst offenders, especially when dealing with either the very young or the very old.

 

[cupid_stunt]

IIRC the farthing had been stopped in 1964.

According to wikipedia, they ceased to be legal tender on 31st Dec. 1960.

 

[Sasaferrato]

There had been a massive government information campaign, and on 15th February 1971, Decimal Day finally arrived. Tanners, thru´penny bits, florins and ten bob notes would soon be phased out. It´s interesting to note, however, that the phrase "worth a few bob" still survives to describe someone wealthy.

The ten bob note was long gone by 'Decimal day'. The 50p coin came in in 1969.

 

[ska invita]

There's something i need to get off my chest

Modern 5ps are too fiddly

There ive said it.




In fact its a good time to get rid of 1,2 and 5p coins all together.

 

[cupid_stunt]

The ten bob note was long gone by 'Decimal day'. The 50p coin came in in 1969.

They were still legal tender until 22nd November 1970, but had certainly disappeared from circulation by then.

 

[gentlegreen]

"Use your old coppers in sixpenny lots"

I've completely switched to kilos and Celcius - it's just miles left - I really need to set my cycle computer to KM/H ...
And if I'm measuring materials, I'll use inches if it's convenient ...

 

[MickiQ]

I was 13 at the time and remember it well, We had the odd lesson at school to prepare for the transition but it seemed to me that the teachers weren't all that enthusiastic whilst we kids took it in our stride as you do at that age. My Nan was horrified, she predicted that it would the end of civilisation as we knew it with total economic collapse and fighting in the streets as the country descended into chaos.

 

[gentlegreen]

What an embarrassment - we were born within a month of each other - still it makes me feel younger than I am ...

 

[Doodler]

Did anyone else get given plastic decimal money to play with at school, to help learn the 'new money'?

Remember being confused as a kid at prices with a 'd' in, eg 6d, pennies beginning with a 'p' - mysteries of the grownups' world.

The old informal words for shillings and other coins sounded good, as in he's got a head like a fifty bob cabbage, doesn't work in new money.

 

[two sheds]

Did anyone else get given plastic decimal money to play with at school, to help learn the 'new money'?

I remember seeing them but had left school by then.

 

[andysays]

Two black jacks.

Personally, I'd buy two fruit salads, but if you really want to turn your tongue black, be my guest...

 

[danny la rouge]

Personally, I'd buy two fruit salads, but if you really want to turn your tongue black, be my guest...

Fruit Salads have the word "salad" in them. I'm not a rabbit.

 

[cupid_stunt]

Fruit Salads have the word "salad" in them. I'm not a rabbit.

There speaks a true Scotsman.

 

[rubbershoes]

No one knowing which side to drive. It must have been chaos. Especially at roundabouts

 

[danny la rouge]

No one knowing which side to drive. It must have been chaos. Especially at roundabouts

That’s Sweden!

 

[Artaxerxes]

Fruit Salads have the word "salad" in them. I'm not a rabbit.

Squeaky bananas and Prawns were the best

 

[editor]

I liked the coins. And bobs.