Firestorm
Veteran
- Location
- Southend on Sea
Question for older cyclists
- Thread starter Yellow Fang
- Start date
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GrumpyGregry
Here for rides.
No one ever called a florin a florin, it was always a two bob bit.
Aravis
Putrid Donut
- Location
- Gloucester
A little more of the old culture:
Half a crown was written 2/6, and pronounced "two and six". You would never have said "two and a half shillings". Three shillings, or three bob, was written 3/-.
A penny, tupp'nce, thr'pp'nce, sixp'nce were what was said, the "e" in pence being almost non-existent in speech.
I think I'm right in saying if the odd number of pennies was anything other than 6 - 15 shillings and fourpence, for example - you'd've normally said "fifteen and fourp'nce". The "p'nce" was usually suppressed the number of pennies was six. If you had pounds as well, you'd've said "two pounds, seventeen and six".
When we got the new money, we were expected to say "new pence". That was never going to stick, but "pence", with the "e" fully articulated, very quickly entered the spoken language, making it easy to tell whether someone was talking about the old or the new.
Half a crown was written 2/6, and pronounced "two and six". You would never have said "two and a half shillings". Three shillings, or three bob, was written 3/-.
A penny, tupp'nce, thr'pp'nce, sixp'nce were what was said, the "e" in pence being almost non-existent in speech.
I think I'm right in saying if the odd number of pennies was anything other than 6 - 15 shillings and fourpence, for example - you'd've normally said "fifteen and fourp'nce". The "p'nce" was usually suppressed the number of pennies was six. If you had pounds as well, you'd've said "two pounds, seventeen and six".
When we got the new money, we were expected to say "new pence". That was never going to stick, but "pence", with the "e" fully articulated, very quickly entered the spoken language, making it easy to tell whether someone was talking about the old or the new.
Also if something was say £1, 10s. it would be 30 bob. £2.10s. would be 50 bob. £1. 5s. 25 bob etc. £5 would never be 100 bob though.
I liked thrupn'y bits, they were always a favourite. For all sorts of reasons.
HA!How do you know all this Colly? Given you weren't born in 1971
DaveReading
Don't suffer fools gladly (must try harder!)
- Location
- Reading, obvs
I remember "three ha'pence" (aka "a penny ha'penny") as the fare on the tram to school when I was about six.
Aravis
Putrid Donut
- Location
- Gloucester
Ah yes, brings it all back. I'd forgotten a few bits of the language!
I'm pretty sure "three ha'p'nnies" had died out by the time I became aware of these things - it would definitely have been "penny ha'p'nny" in my time (born 1960). Farthings had long gone - I believe that "a penny three" would've meant 1¾d.
I think the word "florin" was largely the preserve of coin collectors or enthusiasts, and there were many of those. My mother worked part time in a village post office, so I had access to a lot of change (all proper and above board). Also, in 1969 my dad was treasurer for a significant music festival in the area. Bags of coins to sift through every day. Dreamland!
deptfordmarmoset
Full time tea drinker
- Location
- Armonmy Way
I used to really like the old thruppenny bit. They turned a matt green and when you rolled them along their edge they'd make a percussive noise. Of course I knew half a crown was worth more but I preferred my old 3ds. We have a chance of getting them back now we've got our sovereignty back.
simon.r
Person
- Location
- Nottingham
I remember being embarrassed when, as a young child, I was sent to buy ice cream with a handful of "old" coppers, only to be told by the ice cream man that he was only taking "new" money
simon.r
Person
- Location
- Nottingham
Slightly off at a tangent, my Dad used to save any pre 1947 silver coins that he was given in change, as the silver content (50% from 1920 to 1946) was worth more than the face value of the coins.
DaveReading
Don't suffer fools gladly (must try harder!)
- Location
- Reading, obvs
Well you only have to wait a few weeks before 12-sided coins make a comeback.
GrumpyGregry
Here for rides.
Pee took over from pence pretty quickly as I recall.
summerdays
Cycling in the sun
- Location
- Bristol
I can only just remember the thruppenny bit.... and the large pennies, the sort of money you gave to a young child .... luckily it just turned decimal as I started school!
Gordon Brown (texture like sun), raised some tax or other by "a pence", which grated grammatically.
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