Thought for today:
‘The British resisted decimalized currency for a long time because they thought it was too complicated.’
— Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
#thoughtfortoday #decimalisation #currency #complicated #pounds #shillings #pence #coach #coaching #entrepreneurship #psychotherapy
Fifty years ago today, the British converted their currency from the old system to a new decimal one.
The Daily Mail was up in arms (and in fact still is).
“We never voted for modernisation”.
I am old enough to remember the changeover, old enough to remember using the old coins regularly.
I was really fond of the farthing, sadly out of circulation before I had pocket money.
It had a wren on it, very nice little coin.
My all-time favourite was the thr’penny bit.
A glorious twelve-sided three pence piece – 1.5p in new money.
I also collected sixpence pieces.
For those that don’t remember – Gaiman & Pratchett have this handy guide:
“Two farthings = One Ha’penny.
Two ha’pennies = One Penny.
Three pennies = A Thrupenny Bit.
Two Thrupences = A Sixpence.
Two Sixpences = One Shilling, or Bob.
Two Bob = A Florin.
One Florin and One Sixpence = Half a Crown.
Four Half Crowns = Ten Bob Note.
Two Ten Bob Notes = One Pound (or 240 pennies).
One Pound and One Shilling = One Guinea.”
Decimalisation really complicated things!
Happy Decimalisation day.