A bit of historical news from the BBC

[mint_mark]

A look back to decimalisation at this BBC link, along with a timeline of other British currency related news stories from the archives.

[Sylvester]

There were some comments on one of those pages (dunno if it was the one linked above), from people who could remember the switch.

One was from a coin collector who stated that the decimalisation ended the days of finding stuff like Victorian bun head pennies and silver coins in circulation. Whilst that is true with regards to the end of the bronze stuff, i should point out that i spent a George V florin (with the crowns over the sceptres) in the early '90s, so silver was still out there even upto June 1993.

For me i think the demonetisation of the large 10p in 1993 was the grand finale for the pre-decimal currency.

1991/2 were strange years coin wise, the ten pence was massive, the five pence was miniscule and George VI 2/- were everywhere.

[Peter]

I lived thru it ...albeit very young......there are extremely thick people about...always were & always will be.

Everyone at the time were "Checking their change"....I was the 7 year old benefactor who never said NO.

[wybrit]

I remember the ditties they used on the beeb to brainwash the population - still.

"Use your old coppers in sixpenny lots"

"Give more, get change"

And then there was the lie:

"In the long run, neither you nor the shopkeeper will lose!"

[Geoff T]

A look back to decimalisation at this BBC link, along with a timeline of other British currency related news stories from the archives.

I watched this and found it quite amusing. The clothes, the cash registers - Green Shield stamps!

I can well remember the suspicion decimalisation aroused in the minds of consumers, particularly the elderly. Some really did refuse to think decimally, even after D-Day, and there were shopkeepers who played along with this, refusing to price things in "funny money" in a way which recalls the so-called metric martyrs of more recent experience.

The following contemporary overheard sums up beautifully the attitude of some people, and will be particularly amusing to those who know their geography of Lancashire:-

"It may be alright for Wigan but it'll never catch on in Standish".

G

[krasnaya_vityaz]

The only bit of decimalisation that I remember is when the tanners were finally demonetised in 1980, and it sent people to hoarding them. Including me.

[krasnaya_vityaz]

Has anybody ever seen fish scales in circulation? Ie the silver threenubs?

[Peter]

I take it you mean silver thruppeny bits..more slang there

I've never seen them circulating but they are everywhere..

A very popular hoard coin and ideal for the Xmas pud.....now there is an idea...must contact Sainsbury's

[Sylvester]

I take it you mean silver thruppeny bits..more slang there

I've never seen them circulating but they are everywhere..

A very popular hoard coin and ideal for the Xmas pud.....now there is an idea...must contact Sainsbury's

It'd never get past health and safety, some twit would choke on it.

I might be wrong but i always took 'bit' as in thrupney bit(threpney bit in this neck of the woods) to have been exclusively used with the brass ones.

The silver ones were joeys (as were groats) or just silver threepences. (Or threpence round here).

[Master Jmd]

some twit would choke on it.

Yep, someone always has to spoil it

[krasnaya_vityaz]

I wouldn't want to bake any coin dated after 1919 in a pie anyway, I don't think the copper is good for you, but silver is fine in the diet, and gold even better me thinks.

[Sylvester]

I believe copper is indeed poisonous.

The germs on the copper wouldn't help either, silver's no worry in that respect though.

[Chris Perkins]

I thought I heard that copper was a natural slight antibiotic.

[mint_mark]

If it has verdigris is that the coin equivalent of blue cheese?