Interesting, ... My Dad Always Called A Quarter => Two Bits

To participate in the forum you must log in or register.

Author	Replies: 9 / Views: 1,579
stevex6 Pillar of the Community 3352 Posts	Posted 11/09/2011 9:56 pm Interesting, eh? ... my Dad always called a quarter => "two bits" The designation for money dates from the colonial period, when a common unit of currency was the Spanish milled dollar worth 8 Spanish reales. As a way of making change, these dollars were cut into eight pie-slice shaped pieces, which were called "bits". (For this reason, the whole coin was known as a "piece of eight".) Each eighth-dollar bit was then worth 12.5 cents, "two bits" was a quarter of a dollar (25 cents) ... Sorry, there's no response needed ... I just thought it was merely a really cool reminder/fact. Report this Post to the Staff

TNG Bedrock of the Community United States 10284 Posts	Posted 11/09/2011 10:20 pm 2 bits - 4 bits - 6 bits - a dollar! All for CCF stand up and holler! Yay! ...... Shave and a haircut .. 2 bits! Report this Post to the Staff
stevex6 Pillar of the Community 3352 Posts	Posted 11/09/2011 10:25 pm awesome ... ummm, are you my real Dad? Report this Post to the Staff
Buddy Rest in Peace United States 7075 Posts	Posted 11/09/2011 10:37 pm TheNickelGuy The first thing I thought of was the cheer -- heard it a lot in high school. But I forgot about the little tune for 'shave and a haircut'. What a blast from the past! My dad used to say 2 bits and 4 bits, etc. Gosh, I remember selling popcorn at the movies and saying that the large was 6 bits and everybody knew what I meant. (Oh my, I am old!) Report this Post to the Staff
TNG Bedrock of the Community United States 10284 Posts	Posted 11/09/2011 11:06 pm Seems Clint Eastwood or John Wayne would use the term in any old western movie. Even then I think those guys were being a little old fashioned using the term. Like they were talking like their parents and grandparents. Now they would have actually used the term. I think I heard it a number of times in the movies. My grandmother used it frequently. I never actually asked for change for a dollar and got any bits. I wouldn't mind getting one bit in change cause I would be sure to get a Half Cent then and any combination of another twelve cents. The term must be pretty old since they cut those Spanish reales up in pieces of eight. I think that's where it really comes from. Report this Post to the Staff
stevex6 Pillar of the Community 3352 Posts	Posted 11/09/2011 11:33 pm Well, all I know is, my Dad is currently 88 years old and I am currently 48 years old => and in 1968 (I was 5 years old, for those who aren't really sharp at math stuff) my Dad would give my 2-bits to mow our lawn ... so use your inflation/whatever skills to figure out what today's wages would be ... (I'm thinking that I got 25 cents per hour and a spanking if I did it poorly) ... ahhh, memories ... Report this Post to the Staff
just carl Bedrock of the Community United States 20753 Posts	Posted 11/10/2011 5:34 pm I think there was a post some time ago about all the things we call our money. Such things as 2 bits is really common. So in monitary terms: Remember what a fin is? So what is a saw buck? Anyone still say scratch? And we call our currency Bills too. And so many other terms we all accept such as 5 cent coin is a Nickel. A 10 cent coin is a Dime. 100 Bill is a C note. And so many other terms we all use or used to use for Money. Report this Post to the Staff
Conder101 Bedrock of the Community United States 17884 Posts	Posted 11/11/2011 12:47 am The bit relationship is also why up until a few years ago stocks were priced in 1/8ths. XYZ 24 1/4 up an 1/8th. The stock market is older than the mint by quite a lot and the prices were quoted in Spanish milled dollars and their fractions. The 1/8th or reale was the most commonly available fraction. In rare cases they would quote 1/16ths or half reales. Edited by Conder101 11/11/2011 12:51 am Report this Post to the Staff
sel_69l Bedrock of the Community Australia 21789 Posts	Posted 11/11/2011 02:12 am "Ah paid mah four bits to see tha hagh divin' act, and ah'm gonna see tha hagh divin' act!" (Yosemite Sam - Bugs Bunny Show) Report this Post to the Staff
Buddy Rest in Peace United States 7075 Posts	Posted 11/11/2011 5:34 pm This is a real doozy of a thread -- or do you spell it duesy? Report this Post to the Staff
	Replies: 9 / Views: 1,579

To participate in the forum you must log in or register.

All Forums Category: General Numismatic Forums Forum: Main Coin Forum

The First Dollar, your premier source for bullion and rare coins. See our bullion list on the site and the coin inventory on ebay.

Silver Gold Bull US is the United States leading bullion dealer. We deliver gold coins, gold bars, silver coins, silver bars and precious metals to your door. Order today!

View Last 100 New Topics

View Last 100 Active Topics

Disclaimer: While a tremendous amount of effort goes into ensuring the accuracy of the information contained in this site, Coin Community assumes no liability for errors. Copyright 2005 - 2026 Coin Community Family- all rights reserved worldwide. Use of any images or content on this website without prior written permission of Coin Community or the original lender is strictly prohibited.
Contact Us | Advertise Here | Privacy Policy / Terms of Use

Coin Community Forum

It took 0.34 seconds to rattle this change.