Decimalisation

[Marine Boy]

This happened in February 1971. I would have been 9 years old.

You could actually use the old and new money at the same time for a short while. The old shillings were 5p, the two-shillings were 10p, etc.

I recall lessons at school which taught us all about the new system. I think I picked it up quite quickly, but would still hear my parents, and especially my grandparents, referring to the 'old' money for years afterwards.

I remember being excited at the change in currency.

Do other people have any memories of the time?

[Kiop]

Re: Decimalisation

I remember being able to use a silver sixpence as 2 and a half pence to buy a bag of crisps when I was at infants school in the ealry - mid seventies. This ties in with what you said about being able to use both systems at the same time.

[rossobantam]

Re: Decimalisation

the little orange/yellow/blue/red 'electric cars' (that you drove round a little circuit) at the seaside took tanners (sixpence) throughout the early 70's. I suppose it took a long time to convert everything to the new money.

My family still use 'ten bob' (50p)

[Danny]

Re: Decimalisation

The public information campaign before the switchover was really dire.

Max Bygraves brought out this song 'Decimalisation' and it got played over and over on radio and telly - really bad

[Richard1978]

Re: Decimalisation

The public information campaign before the switchover was really dire.

Max Bygraves brought out this song 'Decimalisation' and it got played over and over on radio and telly - really bad

The Charlie Says video / DVD has one showing the changes, mainly they only the copper coins were different.

I've got an old household managment book from my Mum with a conversion table.

[kazboot]

Re: Decimalisation

I remember the first day of the changeover I went to the sweetshop all excited with my new money, thinking I had it all sussed.
I got it all wrong and was totally confused and embarrassed. Scarred me for life!

[amethyst]

Re: Decimalisation

I remember the change,found it easy straight away if I recall before the change,we had threepenny bit,sixpence,halfpenny,pennies,florin,what about half a crown oh gee showing my agethere was also a guinea or something,ten shilling note 50p piece now

[Richard1978]

Re: Decimalisation

A Guinea was 21 Shillings, these days £1.05p

It was a good way for shops to sound posh & mark up prices by 5% by quoting costs in Guineas.

[Marillion]

Decimalisation

Radio 4 have just broadcast a programme commemorating the 40th anniversary (or near enough) of the transfer to decimal currency, 15th Februray 1971. Do you remember it? Do you remember the old currency? And do you have any pre-decimal coins? I have a few pennies and a shilling - I think one of them is from 1945 - I'd look if I could remember where I keep them.

[Marine Boy]

Re: Decimalisation

Very interesting programme. I remember the time very well. There is an existing thread.

https://forums.doyouremember.co.uk/t...decimalisation

MB

[Heather74]

Re: Decimalisation

Theads Merged

[airfix]

Re: Decimalisation

I remember being excited at the change in currency. Do other people have any memories of the time?

Quite similar memories to you, Marine Boy. Mum gave us kids a selection of the shiny new copper coins as soon as she got some (which included halfpennies too, then) and we made our way down to the local sweet shop where everything was dual priced, as was the case in most shops for that initial transition period. I remember thinking how much simpler it was but then I was at just the right age to take all change (pun) in my stride and it was made easier, of course, by our school maths books being ahead of the game and having lots of maths problems using decimal coinage. My parents still referred to the old system as "real money" for many years afterwards.

[PC66]

Re: Decimalisation

You could actually use the old and new money at the same time for a short while. The old shillings were 5p, the two-shillings were 10p, etc.

The new 5p & 10p decimal coins actually started to appear around 1968, since they were the same shape, size and weight as the shilling and florin they were to replace, so could be used in telephones, vending machines, etc. The 50p coin appeared soon after, as it was an exact equivalent of the 10s. note.

The new ½, 1 and 2p coins appeared on "D-Day," and the old penny, halfpenny and 3d. withdrawn. But as the sixpence was directly equivalent to 2½p it was allowed to continue in circulation for another couple of years.

The old shilling & florin coins, being exact equivalents in both value and weight/shape/size to the new 5p & 10p continued to circulate for about another 20 years though, and were only eventually withdrawn in the early 1990's, when the 5p & 10p were being shrunk to the size they are today.

I still have a card game called "Snip-Snap" which I played as a kid and which was intended to help children learn the new money. Half the cards show decimal coinage, the other half the equivalents in LSD. It's played in a similar way to regular "Snap," except for having to say "Snip" for two matching cards of one currency, "Snap" for two matching cards of the other currency, and "Snip-Snap" if the cards are one LSD and one decimal but of equivalent value.

[shilton dipper]

Re: Decimalisation

i remember ice creams being a sixpence and when we went decimal my cornet cost me 2 1/2p

[Shado66]

Re: Decimalisation

I just missed out on using the old money. In 1971 I was 4, so the changeover didn't really affect me much. I do remember all the kerfuffle, but didn't really understand the significance for people who had grown up with L,S,D. When I started school proper the next year and taught us about money they still called it New Pence and did for a while after. I remember going into a shop with my Mum when I was about 5 and the guy who served us moaning about entering the common market and changing over to this "funny money" as he called it. I guess a lot of people still preferred the old currency even though I can't imagine dealing with 240 pence to the pound.