View Full Version : The Old Currency - Do you remember it?
How many member's remember the pound's shilling's and pence that we used to have. There were 240 old pennies to a pound, 12 to one shilling, one half penny, two farthing's to one halfpenny, we could buy an ice cream cornet for one old halfpenny. We had a ten shilling note, a pound note, four halfcrown's to one pound.
When I was in my teen's, I could have a good night out and still have some change left when I got home, all for half a crown. There was a five pound note which was very large and white if we had one one of those we were like millionaire's.
A married man's wage was about thirty shilling's, £1.50 in today's money. The rent for a council house was alway's one fifth of your income, no one had a telephone or a fridge they were luxury item's. No one had wall to wall carpeting, we were so poor we had to put overcoats on the bed to try and keep warm in winter. :lol: :o :o :o
Michael_W 26-02-2003, 20:47 I remember halevan, I was about ten when we went decimal, but I remember getting a 'ten bob note' (50p today) on my birthdays. You forgot to mention the 'threpenny bit' and the 'sixpence'. Do you remember the now obsolete decimal 1/2 pence, what a piddly little waste of a coin that was !
Yes that's right Michael, and now we have the decimal and the price rise that went with it.
We are now going to change again, I suppose with another price rise when we go into the Euro. What a mess, will they never be satisfied??? :? :? :?
Originally posted by Michael_W
I remember halevan, I was about ten when we went decimal, but I remember getting a 'ten bob note' (50p today) on my birthdays. You forgot to mention the 'threpenny bit' and the 'sixpence'. Do you remember the now obsolete decimal 1/2 pence, what a piddly little waste of a coin that was !
Yes, as far as old coins/currency go the oldest one I can remember is actually the 1/2 pence, followed by the pound note.
Phanerothyme 24-06-2003, 10:22 Bio-survival Tickets.
Tony Ruscoe 24-06-2003, 10:30 Originally posted by Lickszz
Yes, as far as old coins/currency go the oldest one I can remember is actually the 1/2 pence, followed by the pound note.
Yep, I remember those tiny 1/2 pence pieces.
Don't forget that some of the old five and ten pence pieces we used to have were actually shillings! (They just made them the same size.)
I remember the pound coin being released - it was so exciting for me (as a child who collected coins and notes)! :lol:
Does anyone remember £2 coins from the first time around? They released them, but they never really caught on.
Then a few years ago they tried again.
...and what about the silver 2 1/2p?
its about the same size of the new 5p
and the 50 pence got smaller but same shape.
Working in a bank, it's odd to see that people still have old notes and coins kicking about which they bring in from time to time to exchange.
We see quite a lot of the old £1 notes, and recently I've seen a few of the old brown £50s. I wonder where people have kept them for all thses years?
Originally posted by Andy
Working in a bank, it's odd to see that people still have old notes and coins kicking about which they bring in from time to time to exchange.
We see quite a lot of the old £1 notes, and recently I've seen a few of the old brown £50s. I wonder where people have kept them for all thses years?
Andy, I've recently stumbled across a jar of sixpences. Is there any point in bringing them into your bank?
Tony Ruscoe 25-06-2003, 09:09 Originally posted by Andy
Does anyone remember £2 coins from the first time around? They released them, but they never really caught on.
Then a few years ago they tried again.
I remember these as I have most of them. These were only commemorative coins, released on special occassions like the Commonwealth Games, etc... just like the £5 pound coins that you can currently get - if anyone's ever seen them!
Originally posted by maxt
Andy, I've recently stumbled across a jar of sixpences. Is there any point in bringing them into your bank?
No, we can't change them, I'm afraid.
Save them for nostalgia value!
summer1955 23-08-2005, 06:51 i remember when decimal first came in 1971 i was working at a post office but on the side that sold sweets tobacco toys and houshold goods
cheepest fags were park drive tipped 5 for 5 new pence
a lot of old people just gave you some money and asked you to take out what it was or asked you what was the old price
DragonofAna 23-08-2005, 07:13 Forgive me in my old years for being so forgetful but surely there were more than 4 half crowns to a pound? I seem to recall a half crown being 2 and 6 which whould make it 30 pennies and 4 of them is only 120 - not 240.
Perhaps my memory being silly? Ee by eck what you couldn't get for a ten bob note in those days. And they weren't your piddling little notes either - they actually felt like money, like you had something worthwhile in your pocket.
And who has forgotten the old silver thruppeny bit?
Jeze! We are so old ;)
Dragon
Originally posted by Dragon
Forgive me in my old years for being so forgetful but surely there were more than 4 half crowns to a pound? I seem to recall a half crown being 2 and 6 which whould make it 30 pennies and 4 of them is only 120 - not 240.
Perhaps my memory being silly? Ee by eck what you couldn't get for a ten bob note in those days. And they weren't your piddling little notes either - they actually felt like money, like you had something worthwhile in your pocket.
And who has forgotten the old silver thruppeny bit?
Jeze! We are so old ;)
Dragon
Yep - 8 half crowns to the £
By the way, I collect coins and have some of the following which I doubt anyone here will ever have used.
Third of a farthing
Groat
Half sovereign
Sovereign
Double florin
LordChaverly 23-08-2005, 08:40 I doubt very much also if anyone here has used the groat, since it has not been in circulation in the UK since the mid-nineteenth century (although a Maundy groat was issued in 1922 for use in Maundy ceremonies only) and the groat was used in British Guiana until the late nineteenth century.
I like the name though, so perhaps someone could launch a 'bring back the groat' campaign.
Don't remember too much except for the half pennies :P
It's freaky having seen this thread - just been reading about the Royal Mint competition to come up with new designs for the 1,2,5,10,20 and 50 p coins that havent changed much since they came out [most are late 1960s pre-decimalisation designs]
http://www.royalmint.gov.uk/RoyalMint/web/site/Corporate/Corp_pr/OpenDesignCompetition.asp
There is 30,000 quid up for grabs. Hope they don't pay the prize money in old pound notes !
Greybeard 23-08-2005, 10:03 Originally posted by Dragon
Perhaps my memory being silly? Ee by eck what you couldn't get for a ten bob note in those days. And they weren't your piddling little notes either - they actually felt like money, like you had something worthwhile in your pocket.
And who has forgotten the old silver thruppeny bit?
I had forgotten the silver thruppeny bit. They weren't very common after the war as most of them were withdrawn because of the high silver content. We used to save the few we came across to put in the Christmas pudding.
For a ten bob note you could get well oiled when beer was a shilling a pint :D
Max-I'd check through those sixpences, - I've an idea that any with a date up to 1926 had a high silver content. Saxon might know for sure.
My mum gave me an old silver threepenny bit to 'walk' on (put it in my shoe) as a sign of wealth and prosperity. I don't know about the wealth but I'm still here!
Forgot the important bit! To put in my shoe when I got married!
LoopyLou 23-08-2005, 12:30 glad you clarified that - i had visions of you walking around with a coin in your shoe permanently!
Tony:
As a coin collector i'm sure you already know this but......
a friend of mine was caught out recently when burgled for not having named her coin collection on the house insurance. Her insurance policy had a clause that imposed a limited pay out for cash kept on the premises and they considered part of her collection as legal tender and therefore subject to this limitation. They refused to replace it.
Loopy.
pete_fcs 23-08-2005, 18:49 i was two when it came in. i don't remember old pennies, but i do remember seeing the new one pence for the first time.
older brother (aged four) was showing it off as he headed off for school. it had that criss-cross gate on it, which for some reason i thought was a picture of a prison!
two years later i started at greystones school and spent a penny a day on a bag of sherbert from an old shop on tullibardine road...:|
redrobbo 23-08-2005, 18:58 Originally posted by LordChaverly
I doubt very much also if anyone here has used the groat, since it has not been in circulation in the UK since the mid-nineteenth century
I think you may forgetting Owdlad! :hihi:
LordChaverly 23-08-2005, 19:00 Originally posted by redrobbo
I think you may forgetting Owdlad! :hihi:
I wonder if they take groats at Nettos?
Re the old pound note and the fear that the prize might be paid in old pound notes.
As long as it says "I promise to pay...etc" then these can be exchanged at the Bank of England for new notes - or pound coins if your pockets will stand it!
I remember buying dresses priced in guineas
A guinea was £1.1 shilling.
Also I remember going for a loaf of bread with my bread coupons and paying 4d and a farthing for a loaf
hazel
miniminch 24-08-2005, 09:34 does anyone remember the 99p coin? They made it to save on loose change. The British didn't take to it.
Originally posted by Greybeard
I had forgotten the silver thruppeny bit. They weren't very common after the war as most of them were withdrawn because of the high silver content. We used to save the few we came across to put in the Christmas pudding.
The first 12 sided nickel-brass 3d's were issued in 1942
Originally posted by Greybeard
Max-I'd check through those sixpences, - I've an idea that any with a date up to 1926 had a high silver content. Saxon might know for sure.
Its 1947 actually. Up to that date the silver coins of the realm had high silver content but because the Government had to repay the bullion lent to it by the USA, they decided to replace silve coins with cupro-nickel ones although they of course retained the same face value but lost intrinsic value.
Therefore any silver coins made before 1947 will always fecth more than those made later (unless those later ones are very rare, of course)
Originally posted by miniminch
does anyone remember the 99p coin? They made it to save on loose change. The British didn't take to it.
There's never been a 99p coin. I certainly don't remember it and its not listed in any coin valuation book.
Originally posted by Hopman
Re the old pound note and the fear that the prize might be paid in old pound notes.
As long as it says "I promise to pay...etc" then these can be exchanged at the Bank of England for new notes - or pound coins if your pockets will stand it!
Pound notes are still legal tender, and still in circulation. They are still used in Scotland, every time I go home for a visit I always end up coming back down here with a handful, no matter how hard I try to avoid it!
I just pass them off a fivers to pain in the arse taxi drivers who need a lesson in customer service, and shouldnt be allowed driving licences never mind taxi licences!
I remember 1d got you 4 fruit salads and 4 blackjacks. My kids had 10p mixes and got nowt for the money.
Scout, My hubby has a couple of sixpences he's keeping for when our girls get married to put in their shoes. Aww, its a nice thing to do :)
miniminch 25-08-2005, 13:10 Originally posted by Saxon
There's never been a 99p coin. I certainly don't remember it and its not listed in any coin valuation book.
No **** Sherlock!:rolleyes:
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