Question for older cyclists

[Deleted member 26715]

The conversion maths was a bit of a nightmare. It was the complicated little rounding up and downs that confused.

I don't remember any of that happening it all appeared to be ups

 

[Paulus]

The new pound coin

The old thrup'eny bit

 

[jefmcg]

BTW, why are they still minting 1p and 2p?

 

[Profpointy]

The new pound coin
View attachment 335957
The old thrup'eny bit
View attachment 335958

and worth about the same too

 

[Tim Hall]

In about 1979, eight years after decimalisation, I went with a GF into the Douglas Arms in Bethesda, a village noted for its inhabitants' hostility towards the English. The barmaid served the drinks then said, with a hint of malice in her voice: "That'll be nineteen and six please!". My GF, flustered, replied: "Gosh.... is that more or less than a pound? I can't remember!" This was what the barmaid was waiting for and she pounced: "I can see you're English, you've no EDUCATION!"

Last time I was in the Douglas Arms, about 5 years ago perhaps, they were STILL pricing in pounds and shillings.

 

[raleighnut]

Last time I was in the Douglas Arms, about 5 years ago perhaps, they were STILL pricing in pounds and shillings.

Mentioned in this Jackie Leven song,


View: https://youtu.be/bPPVEwnfldw


He used to record in a studio in Bethesda.

 

[raleighnut]

This is a story told by Jackie about the chippy in Bethesda, warning NSFW


View: https://youtu.be/oT_L-9uUTnM

 

[derrick]

3 gallons of petrol and change from a pound. Just saying.
Can't believe i am that old.

 

[glasgowcyclist]

3 gallons of petrol and change from a pound

3 star?

 

[jefmcg]

Can't believe i am that old.

Old or Nigerian (for example)

 

[swee'pea99]

Please forgive my boyish enthusiasm.

The threepenny bit was nice, but they only went back to 1937. The penny was easily the best. Even at the end you could still find them from as early as 1860 - before that they were made of copper and were much larger. You had the 1918 and 1919 H and KN versions, the 1926 "modified effigy", and the 1902 "low tide" variant to look for. Actually 1926 was quite scarce in any version. The moment triumph when finding any of these - gone forever.

At least I thought so. A few years ago in a secondhand shop, I picked out an Edward VII penny from a tin box, and, glory be, it was a 1902 low tide. All the old excitement came flooding back. I expect I had to pay about 20p for it. I've no idea where it is now, but that doesn't matter - I found it!

Again, please forgive me.

Pennies were 'much larger' before 1860? Are you sure? I'm sure I remember that very occasionally you'd come across an early Victorian penny or ha'penny, with a 'young head' on it - so dated from the early part of her reign - 1840s/50s. I don't remember them being any larger. They were usually very worn out...some almost smooth, with little more than a smooth head shape on. Used to make you make you think - all that metal worn away, just by fingers....

Seem to remember too that there was some kind of cut off date for old silver coins, before which they really *were* made of silver - or some much purer alloy or something. 1922? Or something? Not sure. But yes, coinage was much more interesting back in the day. No child who was alive then will forget the resounding heaviness of a half crown in your hand. That was a *big* coin. And to a small child, also a *lot* of money!

 

[Paulus]

I used to get one of these as pocket money in c1967/8.

 

[Aravis]

Pennies were 'much larger' before 1860? Are you sure? I'm sure I remember that very occasionally you'd come across an early Victorian penny or ha'penny, with a 'young head' on it - so dated from the early part of her reign - 1840s/50s. I don't remember them being any larger. They were usually very worn out...some almost smooth, with little more than a smooth head shape on. Used to make you make you think - all that metal worn away, just by fingers....

Absolutely, yes, 1860 was the year of change from copper to bronze. This photograph shows examples from 1858, 1860 and 1967 (the final year):

And an edge shot of 1858 and 1967 shows the very striking difference in thickness, and therefore weight:

Seem to remember too that there was some kind of cut off date for old silver coins, before which they really *were* made of silver - or some much purer alloy or something. 1922? Or something? Not sure. But yes, coinage was much more interesting back in the day. No child who was alive then will forget the resounding heaviness of a half crown in your hand. That was a *big* coin. And to a small child, also a *lot* of money!

This is quite right, the changeover year was 1920, when I think both were made. The percentages were, I think, 92.5% silver before, 50% after, and you could tell the difference by dropping them gently onto a hard surface - from the sound, that is. Needless to say the pre-1920 ones disappeared much sooner than the later ones, and were almost impossible to find by the end of the 60s. They were the preferred choice for Christmas puddings.

 

[swee'pea99]

Absolutely, yes, 1860 was the year of change from copper to bronze. This photograph shows examples from 1858, 1860 and 1967 (the final year):

View attachment 335972

And an edge shot of 1858 and 1967 shows the very striking difference in thickness, and therefore weight:

View attachment 335973


This is quite right, the changeover year was 1920, when I think both were made. The percentages were, I think, 92.5% silver before, 50% after, and you could tell the difference by dropping them gently onto a hard surface - from the sound, that is. Needless to say the pre-1920 ones disappeared much sooner than the later ones, and were almost impossible to find by the end of the 60s. They were the preferred choice for Christmas puddings.

Wow, that old penny's like a manhole cover!

 

[swee'pea99]

It was us kids that suffered the most from the process. In those days we were paying pennies for sweets, so we were punished by shopkeepers and their unscrupulous rounding up from a system where our 2 shillings pocket money would buy 24 penny bags of aniseed balls, sherbet lemons or bull's-eyes, only to find that our new 10p could only buy 20 x 1/2p servings. Bastards.

On the way to school I dropped into the sweet shop and got three penny sweets with a tanner. The person behind the counter consulted the chart. Three old pennies was one new penny. Sixpence = two and half new pee. She gave me one and a half pee change. Sweet! On the way back I tried repeating the trick. I received one new pee change. But thruppence = one new pee, I protested. Uh-uh....penny sweets were now half a pee (an old penny = half a new pee). Three was therefore one and half new pee. There's yer penny. So, between way to school and way home, decimalisation turned from a boon to a bust. Kind of setting the tone for there-on-in...