Another feeling old thread - pre-decimal currency

[youngoldbloke]

I used to be given 2 bob (10p) on Saturday to go swimming at Sparkhill baths and to get my dinner on the way home in 1966. A tanner (6d /2.5p) to get into the swimming baths and one and six (1s6d /7.5p) for fish and chips. It used to be 'Six of chips' for years.

- I learnt to swim in Sparkhill Baths*. Went with my older sister. We cycled or scooted - Triang scooter - or walked, from South Yardley. Our Gran lived in Formans Road, just up from the River Cole, and there was a Fish and Chip shop at the end of the terrace. My aunt lived there until relatively recently - one of the last original inhabitants - last time I visited Sparkhill was for her funeral. It's changed a lot ...........

*This would have been around the mid 1950s

 

[Dirk]

My first ever pint was 15 pence. That's NEW pence thank yew! And the talk was of organised boycotting of pubs if a pint ever went above the magical ten bob mark!

I remember, around 1973, an awful lot of drivers saying they were going to give up motoring if petrol ever reached 50p a gallon (11p a litre). That never seemed to have happened, judging by the number of cars on the road.

 

[Dirk]

....last time I visited Sparkhill was for her funeral. It's changed a lot .......

That has to be the understatement of the century!

 

[Accy cyclist]

On the very rare occasion i go out for a meal, i always show my generosity by tipping the waiter/ess with a nice shiny shilling piece. How's that for generosity?!

 

[jefmcg]

View: https://youtu.be/7oTDRjyti1s

 

[mybike]

I suggest that you lot should go to Blists Hill Victorian Town I can recommend the fish and chips.

 

[classic33]

6d, sixpence, for a bag of chips when we were kids. A once a week, possibly thursday night iirc.
Mars bars used to be the same.

Bag of chips now, in excess of a quid. Mars bar...probably half that price.

Sixpences continued to be legal tender with a value of  2 1⁄2 new pence until 30 June 1980.

 

[Drago]

I remember, around 1973, an awful lot of drivers saying they were going to give up motoring if petrol ever reached 50p a gallon (11p a litre). That never seemed to have happened, judging by the number of cars on the road.

Remember when each budget the fuel duty would rise by a penny a gallon? Then in the eighties the Government sneakily changed that to a penny a litre, four and a half times as much each time. Cheeky.

 

[Flick of the Elbow]

- I learnt to swim in Sparkhill Baths*. Went with my older sister. We cycled or scooted - Triang scooter - or walked, from South Yardley. Our Gran lived in Formans Road, just up from the River Cole, and there was a Fish and Chip shop at the end of the terrace. My aunt lived there until relatively recently - one of the last original inhabitants - last time I visited Sparkhill was for her funeral. It's changed a lot ...........

*This would have been around the mid 1950s

I got taken to Sparkhill Baths to learn to swim too. A family friend used to take my brother and me. then buy us fish and chips after. And I well remember the River Cole, I saw my first kingfisher there in the early 70's.

 

[Beebo]

I was born well after the metric system began but still remember that some 5p coins were recycled shillings. They were legal currency

 

[Dirk]

I was born well after the metric system began but still remember that some 5p coins were recycled shillings. They were legal currency

They were not recycled. They just remained in circulation.
The original 5p coins were the same size and value as the old shilling.
The shilling coins remained in circulation for quite some time, being withdrawn slowly until the new smaller 5p was introduced in 1990.

 

[Dirk]

[QUOTE 4901153, member: 9609"]i think some were made out of silver and worth considerably more - come to think of it I think I have a bag of them somewhere[/QUOTE]
Pre 1920 'silver' coins - crowns, half crowns, florins, shillings, sixpences and threepenies - were 92.5% silver. This went down to 50% silver up until 1946, when all 'silver' coinage was made from cupronickel with no silver content.

 

[Dirk]

[QUOTE 4901177, member: 9609"]I think I have about £10 worth of the pre 47 coins don't think there are many pre 1920s. A web site suggests about 18x face value. think I will hold onto them until they are collecters items and worth more than scrap value. they seem to be trying to sell pre 47 shilling bits for £3 on ebay which would be about 60x their value.[/QUOTE]
Silver isn't that valuable a metal in any case.
Currrently around £410 per kilo, compared to gold at around £31000 per kilo.

 

[Deleted member 1258]

Remember when a gallon of 2 star was 3/6?

I dont go back that far but I do remember petrol at 7/6, I had an ancient BSA Bantam at the time.

 

[mybike]

I dont go back that far but I do remember petrol at 7/6, I had an ancient BSA Bantam at the time.

Just checked with the AA website & your price is probably more accurate.