New money - fifty years
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New money - fifty years
It’s fifty years today since we went decimal. The first thing I bought was a Mars Bar for 3.5p then spent 2p on the bus.
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Re: New money - fifty years
Decimalisation was a poke in the eye for good maths. We've never recovered as a nation.
I've been campaiging for a return to a dozenal system ever since.
Not just for money though. For all numeric notation.
I've been campaiging for a return to a dozenal system ever since.
Not just for money though. For all numeric notation.
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Re: New money - fifty years
Bought a John Bull puncture repair kit in Rochdale 1971, price 2s 6d months after decimalisation, the shopkeeper insisted on me paying in old coins and wouldn’t accept new fangled ones!
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Re: New money - fifty years
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Re: New money - fifty years
Dozenal
I actually prefer "douzenal" too but that's seen as a bit archaic.
We in the Dozenal Society reject the word "duodecimal" because it presents a decimal-centric view of numbers which we find to be prejudicial and misleading.
The dirty decimal system is an Imperial number system forced onto us native Brits against our wishes.
People of Britain! Reclaim your douzenal birthright! You CAN split meals bills more easily! Take to the streets!
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Re: New money - fifty years
Where is the anger? Where is the outrage?
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Re: New money - fifty years
Dont panic, Simon Heffer is all over this one
He was 10 when it happened however....
And next week he'll be writing about.....
"Modern medicine and why we lost our soul when we abandoned leeches"
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Re: New money - fifty years
Yes and they were proper Mars Bars, not the small reduced in size ones they turn out these days.ClaretTony wrote: ↑Mon Feb 15, 2021 6:55 pmIt’s fifty years today since we went decimal. The first thing I bought was a Mars Bar for 3.5p then spent 2p on the bus.
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Re: New money - fifty years
Oh yes you can with 240 pence in every pound!huw.Y.WattfromWare wrote: ↑Mon Feb 15, 2021 7:30 pmNot if there are 5 of you! This is a modern world.
5/240 = 48
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Re: New money - fifty years
Ah yes!
Much bigger.
Better, thicker nougart. Thicker caramel too.
And real wax paper that wripped and tore.
Bring them back!!! (And I'm deadly serious about this one)
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Re: New money - fifty years
12d in a shilling.
20 shillings in a pound...
Seems complicated to me. Please enlighten me Rowls how it is easier to split a meal. (I was 6 when we went decimal by the way).
20 shillings in a pound...
Seems complicated to me. Please enlighten me Rowls how it is easier to split a meal. (I was 6 when we went decimal by the way).
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Re: New money - fifty years
I remember the decimal style 1p wafer, though we never the same when the price went up to 2p.
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Re: New money - fifty years
I think it was the effervescent Peter Hitchens who made the great point that Imperial is far superior to metric because someone 6ft tall is tall whereas 1.829 m is far too complicated.
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Re: New money - fifty years
A Mars Bar today is nothing like the ones back then.
I can also remember buying a packet of cigarettes that day for 26p and that night I went to see the Four Seasons live (Frankie Valli, not Vivaldi)
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Re: New money - fifty years
Just shows how times have changed.ClaretTony wrote: ↑Mon Feb 15, 2021 6:55 pmIt’s fifty years today since we went decimal. The first thing I bought was a Mars Bar for 3.5p then spent 2p on the bus.
You'd be arrested today for weeing just once on the bus, never mind twice.
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Re: New money - fifty years
You paid your tailor in pounds but your barrister in shillings?
Is that right?
And sixpence wasn't actually 6p?
Makes loads of sense!
Is that right?
And sixpence wasn't actually 6p?
Makes loads of sense!
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Re: New money - fifty years
An old tanner was 2 and a 1/2 pence.tarkys_ears wrote: ↑Mon Feb 15, 2021 7:38 pmYou paid your tailor in pounds but your barrister in shillings?
Is that right?
And sixpence wasn't actually 6p?
Makes loads of sense!
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Re: New money - fifty years
Think of an amount of money. ANY amount.
Let's say £65.
There are three of you going out for a meal. The bill is £65.
With the decimal system you can't split it three ways.
If there are 240 pence to the pound and we use the £sd it splits easily.
It is £21 14s 8d each.
SIMPLE! It literally couldn't be simpler!
And no, that's didn't take me 5 whole minutes to work out.
And no, I'm not sat here praying I've got that right because I have no working experience of the £sd system because I wasn't even born... **
If you use the decimal system, somebody has to pay a penny more than the others. There's no other way. Who wants to volunteer to pay more money, eh?
** However, I'm confident there may be one or two posters on here who could have done that sum easily in their heads and would have done mental maths like that every day before we turned decimal.
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Re: New money - fifty years
...waiting for somebody to correct my maths...
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Re: New money - fifty years
I'm changing my answer.
I *think* £65 divided by three people in £sd is...
£21 13s 4d
Final answer.
Somebody will know if it's correct or not.
I *think* £65 divided by three people in £sd is...
£21 13s 4d
Final answer.
Somebody will know if it's correct or not.
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Re: New money - fifty years
For someone who wasn’t even born 50 years ago that’s impressive. Also slightly worrying.Rowls wrote: ↑Mon Feb 15, 2021 7:44 pmThink of an amount of money. ANY amount.
Let's say £65.
There are three of you going out for a meal. The bill is £65.
With the decimal system you can't split it three ways.
If there are 240 pence to the pound and we use the £sd it splits easily.
It is £21 14s 8d each.
SIMPLE! It literally couldn't be simpler!
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Re: New money - fifty years
If the total bill was say £65 0s 5d you’d be struggling to split it three ways. So no better than decimal really.
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Re: New money - fifty years
*sticks fingers in ears*
Lalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalaalalalalalalal
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Re: New money - fifty years
The New Curly Wurly for me...think it was 2 or 3p...I seem to Remember Scooby Doo came out around same time...them were the days.
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Re: New money - fifty years
The size of the current CW is a national disgrace.
Seem to remember there was a short transition system where you could use both old and new as long as they added up to at least a shilling?
Also introduced immediate inflation, penny chews overnight went up to 2p, scandalous
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Re: New money - fifty years
Well, with new money you can get aberrations such as this;
Me, mi dad and mi uncle go to a wetherspoons before a Burnley away game.
We each have the burger and 3 pints special offer meal deal which is, as you've no doubt guessed, a burger and 3 pints for £10.
Tremendous says I
Do it, says they
It be done says she.
So my burger comes and it be reyt alongside 3 pints of (probably) Abbott.
Dads burger does likewise.
Thuncles burger sadly has to come with Ruddles instead, because any given wetherspoons only has 8 pints of abbott at any one time.
We are advised that the bill will be altered accordionly.
So the repast has passed and we come to settling up, and we all pay our £10 note, trusting it to the waitressybarmaidy type person in an away game wetherspoons to get it correct, so collectively we hand over £30.
She returns and says, because of our troubles with the abbott and the ruddles we can get a fiver off, which is nice and brings the bill down to £25. Not unreasonable.
We pocket a pound each, leave £2 on the table, and say thanks to yonder bar person and we be on our way when thuncle knobhead realises something awry.
We three handed over a ten pound note for a thirty pound bill.
Then we got a fiver back split between three, so a pound each and two for the good wait staff, meaning we actually only paid £9 each for our meal whilst the nice wait staff pocketed £2 for themselves.
But WAIT A MINUTE!
3*9 is £27 + 2 is only £29!!!!
So where be the missing pound?
Me, mi dad and mi uncle go to a wetherspoons before a Burnley away game.
We each have the burger and 3 pints special offer meal deal which is, as you've no doubt guessed, a burger and 3 pints for £10.
Tremendous says I
Do it, says they
It be done says she.
So my burger comes and it be reyt alongside 3 pints of (probably) Abbott.
Dads burger does likewise.
Thuncles burger sadly has to come with Ruddles instead, because any given wetherspoons only has 8 pints of abbott at any one time.
We are advised that the bill will be altered accordionly.
So the repast has passed and we come to settling up, and we all pay our £10 note, trusting it to the waitressybarmaidy type person in an away game wetherspoons to get it correct, so collectively we hand over £30.
She returns and says, because of our troubles with the abbott and the ruddles we can get a fiver off, which is nice and brings the bill down to £25. Not unreasonable.
We pocket a pound each, leave £2 on the table, and say thanks to yonder bar person and we be on our way when thuncle knobhead realises something awry.
We three handed over a ten pound note for a thirty pound bill.
Then we got a fiver back split between three, so a pound each and two for the good wait staff, meaning we actually only paid £9 each for our meal whilst the nice wait staff pocketed £2 for themselves.
But WAIT A MINUTE!
3*9 is £27 + 2 is only £29!!!!
So where be the missing pound?
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Re: New money - fifty years
You all paid £9 each (£10 - £1 change) so £27 in total
The bill was £25 (£30 - £5 discount)
You therefore had £2 change still to share between you which you very kindly gave to the waitress
No missing £1 and we didn't even need Scooby-doo and the gang to solve this one
The bill was £25 (£30 - £5 discount)
You therefore had £2 change still to share between you which you very kindly gave to the waitress
No missing £1 and we didn't even need Scooby-doo and the gang to solve this one
Re: New money - fifty years
Ilkley claret wrote: ↑Mon Feb 15, 2021 8:06 pmThe size of the current CW is a national disgrace.
Seem to remember there was a short transition system where you could use both old and new as long as they added up to at least a shilling?
Also introduced immediate inflation, penny chews overnight went up to 2p, scandalous
Just over the hill from you....Cobbydaler
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Re: New money - fifty years
If that was a food bill CT, in the 70s, you were either a very large group or just very hungry
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Re: New money - fifty years
Eeee me little wage packet with shiny Two New Pence pieces included.
Of course we already had 5 & 10 New Pence in circulation masquerading as Bob's and Two Bobs.
All the shopkeepers for years 'That'll be 32 New Pence' and our 12 times table became virtually redundant
Of course we already had 5 & 10 New Pence in circulation masquerading as Bob's and Two Bobs.
All the shopkeepers for years 'That'll be 32 New Pence' and our 12 times table became virtually redundant
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Re: New money - fifty years
I think you might because your maths don't add up to £30!Devils_Advocate wrote: ↑Mon Feb 15, 2021 8:31 pmYou all paid £9 each (£10 - £1 change) so £27 in total
The bill was £25 (£30 - £5 discount)
You therefore had £2 change still to share between you which you very kindly gave to the waitress
No missing £1 and we didn't even need Scooby-doo and the gang to solve this one
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Re: New money - fifty years
Good one but you paid £8.33 for your meal and a 67p contribution to the tip.
You just think there’s a £ missing because you’ve had three beers and they’re half cut!
You just think there’s a £ missing because you’ve had three beers and they’re half cut!
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Re: New money - fifty years
Yes it does.duncandisorderly wrote: ↑Mon Feb 15, 2021 8:43 pmI think you might because your maths don't add up to £30!
You paid £30 for a £25 bill, took £1 back each and left £2 for the waitress
25+3+2=30
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Re: New money - fifty years
But if we all paid £9 each, then +£2 is only £29?
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Re: New money - fifty years
You paid £27 towards a £25 bill. I'll let you try and work out where the £2 came from
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Re: New money - fifty years
£1 tip. £66. Done!Rowls wrote: ↑Mon Feb 15, 2021 7:44 pmThink of an amount of money. ANY amount.
Let's say £65.
There are three of you going out for a meal. The bill is £65.
With the decimal system you can't split it three ways.
If there are 240 pence to the pound and we use the £sd it splits easily.
It is £21 14s 8d each.
SIMPLE! It literally couldn't be simpler!
And no, that's didn't take me 5 whole minutes to work out.
And no, I'm not sat here praying I've got that right because I have no working experience of the £sd system because I wasn't even born... **
If you use the decimal system, somebody has to pay a penny more than the others. There's no other way. Who wants to volunteer to pay more money, eh?
** However, I'm confident there may be one or two posters on here who could have done that sum easily in their heads and would have done mental maths like that every day before we turned decimal.
Re: New money - fifty years
[/quote]Rowls wrote: ↑Mon Feb 15, 2021 7:44 pmThink of an amount of money. ANY amount.
Let's say £65.
There are three of you going out for a meal. The bill is £65.
With the decimal system you can't split it three ways.
If there are 240 pence to the pound and we use the £sd it splits easily.
It is £21 14s 8d each.
SIMPLE! It literally couldn't be simpler!
And no, that's didn't take me 5 whole minutes to work out.
And no, I'm not sat here praying I've got that right because I have no working experience of the £sd system because I wasn't even born... **
If you use the decimal system, somebody has to pay a penny more than the others. There's no other way. Who wants to volunteer to pay more money, eh?
** However, I'm confident there may be one or two posters on here who could have done that sum easily in their heads and would have done mental maths like that every day before we turned decimal.
You tight B#$%@£ds
£24 each including a £9 tip ffs waitresses (and waiters) need looking after
Last edited by Bosscat on Tue Feb 16, 2021 12:21 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: New money - fifty years
I started work at the York County Savings Bank later that year. I was told that the staff had expected to be rushed off their feet on Decimalisation Day, but that next to no one came in for about three days, they were all so worried.
Re: New money - fifty years
I worked in a bank at the time and we staff were asked to make sure our bank accounts were rounded to the exact pound to make it easy for the girls on the ledgers who would have to convert all accounts to decimal. I can't remember what the policy was for changing say 3d to new pence. It was afterall 2.4d to 1p.
Machines had to be altered too of course. We used electrically powered adding machines made of cogs etc.. Computers were just coming in.
Machines had to be altered too of course. We used electrically powered adding machines made of cogs etc.. Computers were just coming in.
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Re: New money - fifty years
We had the same adding machines. All the accounts were updated on ledger cards by hand. Our bank was behind the others. We didn`t become computerised until later and that was only offline at first. We weren`t even a clearing bank. We cleared any cheques received during the day`s business at Barclays across the High Street.Hipper wrote: ↑Tue Feb 16, 2021 12:18 pmI worked in a bank at the time and we staff were asked to make sure our bank accounts were rounded to the exact pound to make it easy for the girls on the ledgers who would have to convert all accounts to decimal. I can't remember what the policy was for changing say 3d to new pence. It was afterall 2.4d to 1p.
Machines had to be altered too of course. We used electrically powered adding machines made of cogs etc.. Computers were just coming in.
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Re: New money - fifty years
Wasn't it?
Are people going to let him get away with this blasphemy?
A sixpence was half a shilling.
A shilling was 12p.
So a sixpence was 6 pennies.
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Re: New money - fifty years
No, a shilling was 12d that became 5p
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Re: New money - fifty years
The shilling and florin coins lasted a long time.
I remember them being used interchangeably with the new five pence and new ten pence coins. Maybe as late as the late 80s for the florins and the 90s for the shillings.
I remember them being used interchangeably with the new five pence and new ten pence coins. Maybe as late as the late 80s for the florins and the 90s for the shillings.
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Re: New money - fifty years
Just checked.
1993 for the florin
1990 for the shilling
The smaller new versions never felt as valuable.
1993 for the florin
1990 for the shilling
The smaller new versions never felt as valuable.
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Re: New money - fifty years
They did and I think the old sixpence did for a while but they fit in with the decimal at 10p, 5p & 2.5p.