Decimal Day - 40 Years Ago Today

[Eric Mc]

Anyone old enough to remember it?

I wonder what type of country we would have today if we had retained the old "£ s d" system?

[Tyre Smoke]

Remember it well. Only 5 years old at the time.

Everything suddenly cost more overnight - or so it seemed.

I imagine we would be a much more insular society today than we are, regarding European integration and immigrants not coping well with 240d in the £.

Slightly O/T were there not stories of German spies in WW2 getting amounts seriously wrong when paying for stuff and giving themselves away?

[sassanach0]

of course it did before you got 240 goes on the penny slot m/c after, 100 what a rip off!!!

[GetCarter]

My first paper round paid me 16/8d per week in 1969.

(If I ever find the ba5tard ...)

[Rugbyman]

GetCarter said:

My first paper round paid me 16/8d per week in 1969.

(If I ever find the ba5tard ...)

Excuse me mister .....but what is 16/8d ?

[Tyre Smoke]

Sixteen shillings and eight pence.

About 83p in metric money.

[rudecherub]

too young just, but I can remember people doing the backwards calculations into 'real' money.

If we still had real money I think people would be a lot better a arithmetic.

[Rugbyman]

rudecherub said:

too young just, but I can remember people doing the backwards calculations into 'real' money.

If we still had real money I think people would be a lot better a arithmetic.

but not so good at English ?

Edited by Rugbyman on Tuesday 15th February 14:40

[Paul Dishman]

Eric Mc said:

Anyone old enough to remember it?

I was 16 and in first year of A levels so remember it all well. There was a tremendous song and dance about the changeover and some people claimed they took years to understand it as they kept translating everything back to £sd

[Ganglandboss]

I'm more curious as to what mybrainhurts thought when they did away with the groat.

[ARH]

I remember it well, I was 7 years old. My mum took the car to fill it with petrol. ford capri 1600 gtxlr. she gave me and my brother and sister a shiney new 2p each from the change.

[rudecherub]

Rugbyman said:

rudecherub said:

too young just, but I can remember people doing the backwards calculations into 'real' money.

If we still had real money I think people would be a lot better a arithmetic.

but not so good at English ?

Ah see what you did there, occasionally when multi-tasking I slip back into my northern vernacular especially when remembering those halcyon days when I still added fractions to my age, and needed to fold my flares against my legs to get them inside my post box red Wellington boots.

However given the casual nature of message boards and internet chatter in general the strict application of rules of grammar don't facilitate the more casual style of conversational exchanges in these brief missives.

[Eric Mc]

I was 12.

I remember most produce and stuff in shops being dual-priced for quite a long time before and after the changeover.

I also remember those holographic type "converters" which you could view at one angle to see the "£ s d" amounts and at another angle to view the equivalent "£ p" amounts.

ITV ran a half hour programme for months every Saturday morning about how an old lady finally gets to understand the new money. It was called "Granny Gets the Point" and the old lady was played by Doris Hare, who also played Stan's mum in "On the Buses".

[Morningside]

I was about 6 years old and puzzled why I was given this odd money in change for my comic.
One thing I noticed is that the money seemed smaller.

Damn good job they got rid of this thing in 1984.



Although I think they is now a market for a .9 pence. As all garage prices seem to be in that value.

Somewhere around here I have the mint issued decimal coin currency that dad got for me (as I suspect millions of others did).

Edited by Morningside on Tuesday 15th February 14:55

[Rugbyman]

rudecherub said:

Rugbyman said:

rudecherub said:

too young just, but I can remember people doing the backwards calculations into 'real' money.

If we still had real money I think people would be a lot better a arithmetic.

but not so good at English ?

Ah see what you did there, occasionally when multi-tasking I slip back into my northern vernacular especially when remembering those halcyon days when I still added fractions to my age, and needed to fold my flares against my legs to get them inside my post box red Wellington boots.

However given the casual nature of message boards and internet chatter in general the strict application of rules of grammar don't facilitate the more casual style of conversational exchanges in these brief missives.

You posh git .....all I had was those snappy/springy metal ankle clip thingys when mounting my chopper but I was dawwwn souffff so it was always sunny and I didnt need wellies .....

Ps whats a tanner ?

[Laurel Green]

Oh yes, I remember it well. For a while, paying 10p for a pint, rather than 2 shillings, seemed like a bargain.

[Cock Womble 7]

Morningside said:

Somewhere around here I have the mint issued decimal coin currency that dad got for me (as I suspect millions of others did).

I think I've got one of those somewhere too.

I was three at the time, so don't really remember any change (no pun intended).

[davido140]

Quinny said:

I was 9, and I can clearly remember my old Nan, ranting and raving about how The government had pulled a fast one and it was a bloody disgrace

I had exactly that rant from my dad only a couple of days ago! He couldnt believe the increase in beer prices overnight!

[GetCarter]

Prompted by this thread, I just dug out a shed load of old currency I still have... half crowns, florins, tanners, crowns, threepenny bits, farthings etc.

Worth bu66er all of course... but I'd forgotten how big/heavy the coins were! The crowns are massive.

Edited by GetCarter on Tuesday 15th February 15:32

[Neil H]

Before my time, and I'm glad as it would have confused the bejesus out of me.

I do remember the halfpenny though - sorry, a'penny - and the pound note being scrapped and turned into a coin.