General Chat

40 years ago we started using decimal currency!

It was also the day the new hotel I had started working in, opened and we waitresses (I had taken a new direction to work in) struggled to help the customers with the currency.

It means that a couple of my good friends have been in my life for just over 40 years now, so glad we stayed in touch even tho one has travelled to France, then America where she lives now in Miami.

They were very happy days too

Lizx

Dear Purple

Hello

Hope you are okay.

Reading about changing to decimal this is making me feel old!!

Blimey, is it really 40 years ago?

I used to love the half pence pieces.
I remember when they were phased out two and the pound notes.

Take gentle care
Very best wishes
xx

.........and the ripp off started........
bounty bars at 9d instantly became 10d
because that was the nearest decimal could get = 4p

they would previously have increased say petrol prices by 1d per gallon, instantly it now became 2 1/2 d...............=1p(at least)because they did away with 1/2 p coins

when metric came in, now they increase prices by the litre.......which is 4.54 times, per gallon
oh! '1p per litre' "thinks thats not much", but its 4.54 times that

per gallon
1p per litre is 5p, a shilling each time

Bob

Agree 100% Bobtanian

I used to love the tanner.

I remember feeling let down as pocket money used to be half a crown (12 and halfp) before and after decimaliation I got 10p

LOL

Liz

That wasn't right Liz, no wonder you felt cheated!

It's always the consumer who gets ripped off Bob

In Malta the Lira shop had a problem when they started using the Euro lol
My friends tell me lots of things went up in price at that time.

Lizx

Hi All - Only just seen this thread. 40yrs - Cor! Are we supposed to celebrate the very first of the innumerable Euro rip-offs since then?

Coppers, Joeys, Tanners, Bobs - & what other coinage had such a lovely name as a Florin?- Still miss them all.

At least we still have acres ,pints of beer & drive on the proper side of the road!! - So could be worse. xxx

Hi Liz.

I remember quite well when we here in Aussie changed over to decimal currency from Pounds, Shillings, and pence. ( Feb 1966 )

I was working in a hardware store in Melbourne as a young salesman.

We had a small Aussie "Jingle" on our tele preparing us for the change over.

The jingle was to the tune of the Australian song 'Click Go The Shears'


"In come the dollars and in come the cents
to replace the pounds and the shillings and the pence.
Be prepared folks when the coins begin to mix
on the 14th of February 1966.


Clink go the cents folks clink, clink, clink.
Changeover day is closer than you think.
Learn the value of the coins and the way that they appear
and things will be much smoother when the decimal point is here.

In come the dollars and in come the cents
to replace the pounds and the shillings and the pence.
Be prepared folks when the coins begin to mix
on the 14th of February 1966".

Found it on U-Tube...and it bought back some memories.....lol

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwA64l5SokU


From memory.
A Half penny was called a "Apenee"
2 Penny's "Tuppence"....and "Tuppence apenee" would buy you a bag of choclate clinkers in 1955...lol
3 pence was called a "Trey"
6 pence was a "Zack"
1 shilling was a "Bob"
2 shillings was "2 Bob" or a "Florin"
1 pound was called " Quid"
5 pounds was "Five Quid"

10 pounds/quid was my weekly wages.......lol


Tony....:>))

Hi Tony, that ad sounded fraightfully English lol!

What was it about 14/15th Feb that made them chose those dates for the changeover?

Hi Liz.

Mmmmmm...yes, it does sound very English.
Perhaps its got something to do with our heritage!!!!...lol

Not really sure why this particular date was nominated.

There was a new mint in Canberra, which officially opened in Feb 1965 by the Duke of Edinburgh.

The first decimal coins, officially released on the 14th February, 1966, consisted of six denominations, a round silver 50 cent piece ( round 50cent now a collectors item ), three copper-nickel coins - 20 cent, 10 cent and 5 cent - and two bronze coins - 2 cent and 1 cent. ( 2cent and 1 cent coins obsolete now )

Tony..:>))