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 Replies: 6 / Views: 1,693 |
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
1610 Posts |
I've got a 1969 50 new pence .Can anybody explain that, since Great Britain changed to decimal currency in 1971, if they made any of the decimal currency before 1971. How could it work if they had both types of currency at the same time. Edited by Apollo
11/13/2011 2:08 pm
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Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
1682 Posts |
I was not in the UK then but yes, both types were in use for a certain period of time. The first decimal coins released where the 5 pence and 10 pence in 1968. Tony Clayton's site has lots of useful information. http://www.coins-of-the-uk.co.uk/dec.htmlKen |
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Valued Member
United Kingdom
298 Posts |
I wasn't born then but from the above link it appears that the new 50p was given a pre-decimilisation denomination of 10 shillings.
I can certainly remember Florins being used in currency even in the early 1990's with a decimal worth of 10p.
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Moderator
 Australia
16826 Posts |
Here in Australia, decimal changeover happened all at once; on one day (14 February 1966) all the old coins and notes were replaced with the new, simultaneously.
The British realised their economy was much larger than Australia's was, so opted for a gradual changeover, replacing one denomination at a time, so the final changeover day (15 February 1971) would be more manageable.
Incidentally, the similarity of changeover-day dates is no coincidence. Statisticians had proved that mid-February was the least busy time of year, as far as the banks were concerned. And both dates were Mondays, giving the banks and entire weekend to prepare.
Don't say "infinitely" when you mean "very"; otherwise, you'll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite. - C. S. Lewis
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Pillar of the Community
Germany
1063 Posts |
The florins and shillings were still used up until the early 1990s as 10ps and 5ps, as they were worth exactly the same. But they decided to reduce the size of 10ps and 5ps and even the 50ps so that the old coins were no longer valid as currency and for the first time ever (?) all the coins in circulation had the reigning monarch on them!
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Bedrock of the Community
Australia
21786 Posts |
I was in Australia for the decimal changeover in 1966 and I was also living in Great Britain for 2 years around the time of the decimal changeover, in 1971.
For 2 years before 1971, decimal coins of equivalent value and of that date were issued and circulated, alongside the old coinage system.
Examples are the florin and 10 NEW Pence, the shilling and 5 NEW Pence.
On and after 1971, the 7 sided 50 NEW P was issued and the 10 shilling note was withdrawn, The Sixpence 12 sided brass Threepence and bronze Penny were also withdrawn.
The bronze 1/2 NEW Penny, NEW Penny and 2 NEW Pence were issued and were legal tender from 15th February, 1971.
For a period of about 18 months, there was a strange situation, with coins dated 1971, in circulation in 1969 and 1970.
The system of weights and measures was also changed from the Imperial system to System International, which is based on the Metric system.
IMO, the S.I. system of weights and measures annoys me. It should have been changed to the Metric system, the same as the rest of Europe. I find tyre pressures, for instance, easier to understand, if they are in kilogrammes per sq. centimetre rather than kiloPascals.
Even now, the old alternative of pounds per sq. inch can be referenced on type pressure gauges, and is most often used by to public at petrol stations.
Edited by sel_69l
11/14/2011 02:32 am
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Pillar of the Community
Australia
2830 Posts |
Sel: if kilopascals annoy you (as they do me), next time you're down there, checking the pressure, glance at your tyre-size, for instance 225/60R16
225 is millimetres
60 is a percentage
and 16 is inches.
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Replies: 6 / Views: 1,693 |
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Posted 11/13/2011 5:14 pm
