Another feeling old thread - pre-decimal currency

[Deleted member 1258]

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

Would have been around 1970, just before decimal came in, I had just left the Navy and was living in Gosport.

 

[Dirk]

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

I remember my dad filling the car up when it was 5 bob a gallon - 4 gallons for a quid - that's the equivalent of 5.5p a litre. It would be about 1958 or thereabouts.
When I first hit the road, in 1970, petrol was 6s7d (33p) a gallon - 7.25p a litre.

 

[Drago]

Does everyone remember the days when cars all had carbs? A frosty morning in the 1970's would result in a dawn chorus of wheezing engines refusing to start. Auto chokes were great on new cars, but in a year or two invariably failed to work properly and there was a good aftermarket trade in manual choke conversion kits.

 

[midlife]

I remember my dad filling the car up when it was 5 bob a gallon - 4 gallons for a quid - that's the equivalent of 5.5p a litre. It would be about 1958 or thereabouts.
When I first hit the road, in 1970, petrol was 6s7d (33p) a gallon - 7.25p a litre.

Not including a shot of Redex

 

[Deleted member 1258]

Does everyone remember the days when cars all had carbs? A frosty morning in the 1970's would result in a dawn chorus of wheezing engines refusing to start. Auto chokes were great on new cars, but in a year or two invariably failed to work properly and there was a good aftermarket trade in manual choke conversion kits.

Not on cars but on motorbikes, and some bikes not having a choke, just a button on the top of the float chamber and having to tickle the carb to get a rich mixture to start it.

 

[Deleted member 1258]

Not including a shot of Redex

Still available I believe.

 

[cyberknight]

Since the 'Skinhead' days.

I have a number one all over , hard hat at work = no point in a hairdo , when i was young and "trendy " i thought i was cool having an arnie terminator cut .

 

[screenman]

I was working in a green grocers when change over happened, interesting time, I can still remember people holding up a handful of coins, and looking totally confused.

 

[classic33]

I was working in a green grocers when change over happened, interesting time, I can still remember people holding up a handful of coins, and looking totally confused.

Nowt changed, they still do that today.

 

[nickyboy]

I'm too young to remember pre decimalisation so a question for you old farts

Adding sums of money (or multiplying or dividing for that matter) post decimalisation is easy. Was the answer pre decimalisation just to become very good at mental arithmetic or was there a "method"?

If I had to add £3 7s 3d to £1 14s 11d that would be hard work and I would have to write it down

 

[smutchin]

If I had to add £3 7s 3d to £1 14s 11d that would be hard work and I would have to write it down

£5 2s 2d

I never learnt old money at school but there's no trick to it - you're adding up the different columns the same way as with decimal, the only difference is that each column has a different 'base'. As long as you know what the bases are, it's easy enough to do it in your head.

(Cue someone telling me I've got the answer wrong...)

 

[Deleted member 1258]

£5 2s 2d

I never learnt old money at school but there's no trick to it - you're adding up the different columns the same way as with decimal, the only difference is that each column has a different 'base'. As long as you know what the bases are, it's easy enough to do it in your head.

(Cue someone telling me I've got the answer wrong...)

No thats right, its what I get as well.

 

[jefmcg]

I'm too young to remember pre decimalisation so a question for you old farts

Adding sums of money (or multiplying or dividing for that matter) post decimalisation is easy. Was the answer pre decimalisation just to become very good at mental arithmetic or was there a "method"?

If I had to add £3 7s 3d to £1 14s 11d that would be hard work and I would have to write it down

I think it was hard work.

It's why I shared this video - cued up now to start where they explain addition


View: https://youtu.be/7oTDRjyti1s?t=42

 

[Dirk]

£5 2s 2d

I never learnt old money at school but there's no trick to it - you're adding up the different columns the same way as with decimal, the only difference is that each column has a different 'base'. As long as you know what the bases are, it's easy enough to do it in your head.

(Cue someone telling me I've got the answer wrong...)

No, you are correct.
Base 12 for pennies, base 20 for shillings. Easy really, I never had any trouble learning it as a kid.

 

[jefmcg]

No, you are correct.
Base 12 for pennies, base 20 for shillings. Easy really, I never had any trouble learning it as a kid.

It might be ok adding two numbers, but adding a column? When you get the total of say 138 pennies, you then have to divide it by 12 and get the quotient and the remainder. So instead of one opportunity of error (adding it up wrong) you now have 3 places to get it wrong. And then you move to the next column.