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Decimal Day

SolidgoneSolidgone
in Not Sports Related
It was Decimal Day on the 15th February 1971 and quite an historic day of ridding the old system of the pound shillings and pence; 240 pence to the pound and 12 pence in a shilling and 20 shillings in the pound. I still wonder how we managed but it was quite simple back in the day. But glad we moved on to decimal. Lots of the programmes about how to convert from old money to decimal; dividing by 2 was the easiest. I always remember going into the sweet shop with a pal and he asked how much was the 3p bag of sweets/chocolate bar with the shop keeper response saying 3pence. Anybody else have memories of the cross over to decimal
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Comments

  • Henry IrvingHenry Irving
    "spend your old coppers in sixpenny lots"
  • thai malaysia addickthai malaysia addick
    edited February 2017
    The change was the start of reducing everyone's skills in arithmetic. I think we should have changed to 39 groats to the scrud and 73 scruds to the pound. It would have improved the nation's arithmetic skills.
    MrOneLung said:

    thai malaysia addick said:

    The change was the start of reducing everyone's skills in arithmetic. I thing we have changed to 39 groats to the scrud and 73 scruds to the pound. It would have improved the nation's arithmetic skills.

    And spelling....
    Yes, I've just re-read what I typed. I was busy at the time!
  • UboatUboat
    I was born a few months later, but I remember my parents telling me about the imperial money and thinking it sounded utterly bewildering. It must have helped with the development of mental arithmetic though.
  • seth plumseth plum
    thai malaysia addick said:

    The change was the start of reducing everyone's skills in arithmetic. I thing we have changed to 39 groats to the scrud and 73 scruds to the pound. It would have improved the nation's arithmetic skills.

    In terms of dealing in number bases the pre decimal imperial world was a very rich place. I always think that because most people had a vested interest in money, then knowing twelve pence to a shilling, and twenty shillings to a pound, and two shillings and sixpence to a half crown and so on led to some good mental arithmetic for most people.
    Ok we have six balls to an over, and use other measurements in height and weight, and miles too, but it does feel a whole lot different now to those pre decimal days.
  • MrOneLungMrOneLung
    thai malaysia addick said:

    The change was the start of reducing everyone's skills in arithmetic. I thing we have changed to 39 groats to the scrud and 73 scruds to the pound. It would have improved the nation's arithmetic skills.

    And spelling....
  • StigStig
    Thank you to decimal day for killing off the guinea, the most ridiculous and deliberately confusing monetary unit ever invented.
  • eaststandmikeeaststandmike
    I don't see the point!!
  • AddicktedAddickted
    Stig said:

    Thank you to decimal day for killing off the guinea, the most ridiculous and deliberately confusing monetary unit ever invented.

    And still used to this day.

    The duodecimal system is far more flexible that the decimal system.

  • Friend Or DefoeFriend Or Defoe
    edited February 2017
    Addickted said:

    Stig said:

    Thank you to decimal day for killing off the guinea, the most ridiculous and deliberately confusing monetary unit ever invented.

    And still used to this day.

    The duodecimal system is far more flexible that the decimal system.

    Only in dealing with thirds. Decimal fits in far better to the entire Arabic numbering system.
  • cafcfancafcfan
    I remember it well. I was 5 months into my job having left school and was required to work over the weekend of 13/14 February converting the hand-written ledgers recording the holders and amounts of British Government Stocks into decimal. What a fun weekend that wasn't!
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  • se9addickse9addick
    Old style monetary denominations sound crazy to me - pence, pounds, farthings, shillings, guineas - you must have needed a glossary every time you went to the shops !
  • bobmunrobobmunro
    Friend Or Defoe said:

    Addickted said:

    Stig said:

    Thank you to decimal day for killing off the guinea, the most ridiculous and deliberately confusing monetary unit ever invented.

    And still used to this day.

    The duodecimal system is far more flexible that the decimal system.

    Only in dealing with thirds. Decimal fits in far betting to the entire Arabic numbering system.
    I'm not sure it does.

    Fractional prices 11/4, 11/8 and so on have their origins in crowns and half crowns - 21/20 - guinea to a pound - and so on. Also, of course, racehorses are traded in guineas.

    Oh sorry - just realised it was a typo ;-)
  • DippenhallDippenhall
    Everyone blamed decimalisation for inflation taking off after 1971 as shops priced everything in decimal and took the opportunity to round up rather than use the odd half new pence. Given the average daily wage was probably around £5 a day a half pence across the board on lots of items in those days would be noticed.

    I worked at an insurance company and we had to manually alter every paper record card into new pence using a razor blade as an eraser to scrape the ink off.
  • Oggy RedOggy Red
    edited February 2017
    se9addick said:

    Old style monetary denominations sound crazy to me - pence, pounds, farthings, shillings, guineas - you must have needed a glossary every time you went to the shops !

    Up into decimalisation, old money was all that we knew and were familiar with.
    It was an every day part of our life and worked just fine, as it had for many centuries.

    Does anyone, ahem ..... of a certain age, remember the old school exercise books?
    On the back cover was all the tables of imperial metrology / measurement:

    eg, inches, feet, yards, chains and furlongs
    roods and perches to acres
    gills to pints, quarts and gallons

    And so on.

  • Oggy RedOggy Red
    Friend Or Defoe said:

    Addickted said:

    Stig said:

    Thank you to decimal day for killing off the guinea, the most ridiculous and deliberately confusing monetary unit ever invented.

    And still used to this day.

    The duodecimal system is far more flexible that the decimal system.

    Only in dealing with thirds. Decimal fits in far better to the entire Arabic numbering system.
    It goes further back than even the Arabic - Ancient Egyptians, Babylonians and even the Sumarians of at least 5,000 years ago were using a base count of 60 (divisible by 30 20 15 12 10 6 5 4 3 2) which you'll see includes both 10, and 12 (divisable into quarters, halves, etc).

    Seems they realised they could have the best of both systems?

    Meanwhile, the circle is still divided into 360 degrees, 60 minutes to the hour and so on.

  • Raith_C_ChattonellRaith_C_Chattonell
    Dippenhall said:

    Everyone blamed decimalisation for inflation taking off after 1971 as shops priced everything in decimal and took the opportunity to round up rather than use the odd half new pence. Given the average daily wage was probably around £5 a day a half pence across the board on lots of items in those days would be noticed.

    I worked at an insurance company and we had to manually alter every paper record card into new pence using a razor blade as an eraser to scrape the ink off.

    I can clearly remember women complaining about ha’penny increases in the pre decimal days. I also recall my Mum and Nan walking from shop to shop to save a few coppers, despite heavily laden bags. I don’t know how they did it tbh, Different times, tough old days.
  • MrOneLungMrOneLung
    Surely only a matter of time till er time is decimalised.

    10 decimal 'hours' a day
    100 decimal 'minutes' an 'hour'
    100 decimal 'second' a 'minute' etc
  • i_b_b_o_r_gi_b_b_o_r_g
    Stig said:

    Thank you to decimal day for killing off the guinea, the most ridiculous and deliberately confusing monetary unit ever invented.

    Money's got s lot to answer for when you think about it. Responsible for the death of 2 thirds of a cow and also a cute little guinea.
  • bobmunrobobmunro
    MrOneLung said:

    Surely only a matter of time till er time is decimalised.

    10 decimal 'hours' a day
    100 decimal 'minutes' an 'hour'
    100 decimal 'second' a 'minute' etc

    Does that mean a right angle will become 25 degrees?
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  • MrOneLungMrOneLung
    Like it bob, I like it.
  • SuedeAdidasSuedeAdidas
    bobmunro said:

    MrOneLung said:

    Surely only a matter of time till er time is decimalised.

    10 decimal 'hours' a day
    100 decimal 'minutes' an 'hour'
    100 decimal 'second' a 'minute' etc

    Does that mean a right angle will become 25 degrees?
    Acute idea.
  • A-R-T-H-U-RA-R-T-H-U-R
    I only agree with 10% of this thread.
  • charltonkestoncharltonkeston
    Oggy Red said:

    se9addick said:

    Old style monetary denominations sound crazy to me - pence, pounds, farthings, shillings, guineas - you must have needed a glossary every time you went to the shops !

    Up into decimalisation, old money was all that we knew and were familiar with.
    It was an every day part of our life and worked just fine, as it had for many centuries.

    Does anyone, ahem ..... of a certain age, remember the old school exercise books?
    On the back cover was all the tables of imperial metrology / measurement:

    eg, inches, feet, yards, chains and furlongs
    roods and perches to acres
    gills to pints, quarts and gallons

    And so on.

    Oggy Red said:

    se9addick said:

    Old style monetary denominations sound crazy to me - pence, pounds, farthings, shillings, guineas - you must have needed a glossary every time you went to the shops !

    Up into decimalisation, old money was all that we knew and were familiar with.
    It was an every day part of our life and worked just fine, as it had for many centuries.

    Does anyone, ahem ..... of a certain age, remember the old school exercise books?
    On the back cover was all the tables of imperial metrology / measurement:

    eg, inches, feet, yards, chains and furlongs
    roods and perches to acres
    gills to pints, quarts and gallons

    And so on.

    My first day at proper work back in '80 was a bit of an eye opener. For the previous 12 years I knew nothing but metric but the company I went to work for only used inches on their drawings and the machinery. 64ths and 32nds everywhere. Thankfully the Europeans had a better system, the company adopted that 3 year later.
  • Rufus_AmbitionRufus_Ambition
    The old system sounds crazy! I get that it was more divisible than the decimal system, but I don't really understand how that was helpful in everyday life?

    Also, can you imagine how confusing it must've been for tourists visiting the UK!
  • seth plumseth plum
    Rufus_Ambition said:

    The old system sounds crazy! I get that it was more divisible than the decimal system, but I don't really understand how that was helpful in everyday life?

    Also, can you imagine how confusing it must've been for tourists visiting the UK!

    Being able to do thirds of things was the main driver in my view.
  • AddicksAddictAddicksAddict
    eaststandmike said:

    I don't see the point!!

    It's between the amount of pounds and the amount of new pennies.
  • AddicksAddictAddicksAddict
    Rufus_Ambition said:

    The old system sounds crazy! I get that it was more divisible than the decimal system, but I don't really understand how that was helpful in everyday life?

    Also, can you imagine how confusing it must've been for tourists visiting the UK!

    I think it was great for tourists. Just think of the tales they could tell when they got home!
  • AddicksAddictAddicksAddict
    se9addick said:

    Old style monetary denominations sound crazy to me - pence, pounds, farthings, shillings, guineas - you must have needed a glossary every time you went to the shops !

    Not at all. You grew up using it and it was second nature.
  • happyvalleyhappyvalley
    I'm just getting used to this new money malarkey.
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