| UK currency decimalisation (or 'dismalisation') in February 1971 - a discussion Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 00:08, 14th October 2026 |     |
... I saved a whopping 17p (yes, I know, s e v e n t e e n whole pennies) ...
I'm going off at yet another slight tangent here (and I can, because I'm an admin
), but it struck me, even as a twelve-year-old at the time when our currency was dismalised, in February 1971, that there shouldn't have been provision for a 'half-penny' in any new decimal coinage - it was a contradiction in terms.CfN. Grumpy Old Git.
| Re: UK currency decimalisation (or 'dismalisation') in February 1971 - a discussion Posted by Red Squirrel at 08:43, 14th October 2026 | |
Only the copper coins were changed at decimalisation - the silver 6d, 1/-, 2/- and 2/6 (half crown) coins stayed in circulation, along with the 50p coin that had replaced the 10/- note. So it eased the transition to keep a sixpence as 21/2p and the half crown as 121/2p.
Plus I remember plenty of people being very angry that prices had been rounded up to the nearest half pee. Bear in mind that a half pee was worth more than an old penny.
| Re: UK currency decimalisation (or 'dismalisation') in February 1971 - a discussion Posted by Oxonhutch at 09:30, 14th October 2026 | |
So it eased the transition to keep a sixpence as 21/2p and the half crown as 121/2p.
The half crown was demonetised before D-day - I know because it caused me to have a 20% pay cut, which as a 10 year old stung painfully. My grandma, bless her memory, used to give me a half crown when I visited her, and this reduced to a florin when the half-crown was withdrawn. Sixpence bought a 10 year old quite a bit in 1970.
| Re: UK currency decimalisation (or 'dismalisation') in February 1971 - a discussion Posted by Clan Line at 16:03, 14th October 2026 | |
So it eased the transition to keep a sixpence as 21/2p and the half crown as 121/2p.
Plus I remember plenty of people being very angry that prices had been rounded up to the nearest half pee. Bear in mind that a half pee was worth more than an old penny.
Plus I remember plenty of people being very angry that prices had been rounded up to the nearest half pee. Bear in mind that a half pee was worth more than an old penny.
There was plenty of skullduggery going on at the tills too ! Just before D day I bought two items in a supermarket in Dumbarton, each doubly marked 2s 5d and 12½p. I was duly charged 5s - I then pointed out that 2 times 2s 5d was 4s 10d not 5s. The girl on the checkout then said that we were going decimal soon and the decimal price was 12½p - which was 2s 6d.......so that was the price of the item. I then asked to see the manager, he arrived and I explained what had happened...........he rang up "no sale", took 2d out of the till, slammed it down in front of me and walked off - never having said a word. A double attempted con-trick as the official conversion of 2s 5d was actually 12p !!!
I never darkened that supermarket's door step again............
Later: I travelled a lot to Germany during the introduction of the Euro - what went on there made the man in Dumbarton look a complete amateur !
But, I digress !
| Re: UK currency decimalisation (or 'dismalisation') in February 1971 - a discussion Posted by Red Squirrel at 00:16, 15th October 2026 | |
The half crown was demonetised before D-day…
I stand corrected! The half crown ceased to be legal tender on 1st Jan 1970, over a year before decimalisation.
…reduced to a florin
I too used to get half a crown pocket money from my Gran, but I don’t remember being similarly swizzled!
The florin was part of an earlier abortive attempt at decimalisation, which led to the two coins with similar values - 2/- and 2/6 - coexisting. All a bit silly really, but fun.
