Pounds, Shillings and pence

ironic

For those of us who were knocking about pre-1971

Ah the loss of the old half crown, I loved the feel of them in the palm of my hand, you felt rich when you got one of these for your birthday.
The thrupenny bit. Oh how useful they were. Held down the point in your shoe. Held up the stocking when the suspender button snapped. Thrupenny ice lolly in the Saturday matinee.
Two bob bit
Spend a penny! Penny for your thoughts. Penny sweet box.
Six pence from the tooth fairy. Six penny worth of chips. The tanner
Bob a job week.
Unsliced loaf...11pence Sliced...11and ha’penny.
Quid. One pound note. Ten bob note.
Come on bring on the memories.

annie_mial

I've got a complete set including a silver sixpence and several farthings, and yes, I can remember when I could spend a farthing in the sweet shop!

Annie

joanlawson

I remember farthings too, Annie. I think they had a picture of a robin on them. I also remember the nightmares of having to do arithmetic calculations in pounds, shillings, pence, halfpennies, and farthings. No wonder I failed my 11+ :!: :shock:

Before the threepenny bit, there was a silver threepence which was very small, and I nearly swallowed one. I can remember my sister thumping me on the back as I was choking on it.

There was a florin ( worth 2 shillings ) a guinea ( 1pound, 1 shilling ) as well as a half crown.

If you had a ten bob note, you were rich beyond your wildest dreams :!:

I was teaching a class of 8-year-olds when the currency went metric in 1971, and I thought it was wonderful because it made teaching maths ( never my strongest point ) so much easier.

ironic

I seem to remember that bracelets where made out of the silver sixpences. Think it was illegal because of the queens head. Dont think anyone bothered though.

ironic

They are talking of getting rid of the chq book now!

Cannot get my head round metric. Still in Yards and inches. Dont like the mm cm. have to use them at work though. Funny babys are still in Pounds and oz. I'm still 5 foot tall and will remain so!

dreamdaisy

I think distance and speed in imperial and weight in imperial, but money in decimal and liquid in metric. I muddle both when cooking but I don't cook weight-dependant stuff such as cakes, so that doesn't matter. I liked the weight of a thrupny bit, but always wished they were a brighter colour - I remember a dull, mustard-yellow.

I dislike intensely the new designs on our coinage. The ten and twenty pieces look like tokens for an amusement arcade.

Am I alone in thinking that decimalisation was one of the causes of inflation? Tea cost a shilling a quarter, overnight it cost five pence. That sounded so cheap in comparison! I'm sure money went further when I was young (born 1959). Certainly there was not a lot of it about, but it went further. DD

janie68

I am pounds and pence, cm & mm, then pounds & ounces! My hubby is of the pound shilling & pence era. He tried explaining it to me several times and I still don't understand it! He says it's easy! Err not to me!

Janie

ninakang

Ummmm, not got much to say here because I was born in 1977 and so only know the metric system.

My dad often talks about old money though - he says it felt more like money which is why people were more careful with it :-)

I actually agree with getting rid of cheque books - far too much scope for fraud there - just get hold of someone's cheque book, fake their signature and buy a load of stuff to be sent to you through the post! I only use mine now to pay for the girls' ballet exams to save me getting money out of the cash machine.

Nx

dreamdaisy

Every payment method has scope for fraud - even cash can be fake! I run a very small business offering specialised tuition and cheques are the preferred method of payment for most of my customers. Great for them but my bloody bank is so slow at clearing them - they obviously like to keep the money hanging around in cyberpsace to get some interest on it. The record to date is 15 working days!

I don't want to see them go though, they are useful for many people. We have so many choices removed from us now and here goes another one.

What really winds me up is people paying for goods at a supermarket with their card and then they're asked the inevitable question 'Do you want cashback?' Only then do they think about it and dither about. This is a supermarket - if you want money out of your account GO TO THE BANK. That's what they're for. Grrrrr. DD

frogmorton

Hey Ironic

I played 'decimal currency bingo'at primaary school to teach us and get us familiar with the coins

Love

Toni xx

ironic

collywobble wrote:

Our village shop owner loves to wind up his customers by asking for payment in old money!!!

Sad thing is, I always seem to know how much he wants :?

I think the metric system is so much easier to use, but I still can't picture in my head metric distances - a foot, a yard, I can picture, but tell me something is 50 cm, and my eyes glaze over!!!!

Lynn xxx

ME TOO LYNN. :roll:

Hubby keeps having to work it out for me. Hate it at garden centres. Never know what height the plant is going to be.

ninakang

Hi Del

I like doing adding sums - for someone who is rubbish at Maths, I'm quite quick at adding and taking away. I also still remember my times tables from school.

I can't get my head round my eldest daughter's maths homework anymore. If she's stuck on something, it takes us both ages to work out the answer. I do like algebra though, nice and tidy for an organised person like me :-)

Nx

tkachev

I remember those big round pennies. I just learnt to count it all when they decided to change it.


Elizabeth

ironic

Oh Elizabeth,
I’ll tell you a funny story about pennies. When I was about 11yrs old, and just beginning to get that body awareness stage. My dad took me to St. Pauls in London. We got up to the Whispering Gallery when my dad decided he did not want to go any further, so he gave me a handful of pennies just in case they charged at each floor and told me to carry on.
So that is what I did. Up to the next stage and then the next until we were taken to this small round room where there was a metal ladder going straight up. Well I still had my fist full of pennies and I was concerned that people would see up my skirt if I went up this ladder. But I thought everyone would laugh at me if I turned back. So off I went one handed trying to keep my skirt close to my legs.
Well that was my down fall. I got to the top of the ladder and then suddenly realised that I was directly under the Ball right at the top of St. Pauls. I suddenly felt very scared and dropped all the pennies, talk about drawing attention to yourself. What a clatter they made. I could not get down quick enough. Did not care who saw next week’s washing. I was still shaking when I got back to my dad. He said you’ve been a long time. Oh says me there was a bit of queue. Stiff upper lip, right above the lower wobbly one!

skezier

Hi I,

I work in decimal money as well I am afraid but weights.... on weights wee a hug rip off (I know my Nan always said decimal was as well) You used to buy animal feed in 56Lb bags.... Hay and straw by the ton, then metric came along and you get 20 or 25kls at more money and one a least much less weight..... though kinder to the bones A metric ton ell....... same price but it was a few bales like so more expensive and also less bales messed the how much do I nee this winter up quite badly......

Distance I can't understand metric! Got to keep inches and miles.... and don't have a clue about petrol unless its in gallons..... I'm off now

Luv and a ((((( ))))) Cris xx

angel1

You are so right Cris, everything seemed to double in price from `71 onwards.

I remember being in the greengrocers a week after the change, asking for a cabbage. 35pence she said. "WHAT!.....7 bob for a bloody cabbage", I shrieked all over the shop. Everyone fell about laughing. But, the previous week I had paid 2/6d, AND it was much bigger, to add insult to injury!!.......Ange.