Thank you for uploading the three sections I really enjoyed watching them. My Grandma never got used to decimalisation and still converted to LSD in her head until she passed away in 1981. The Decimal Dollies made me laugh - imagine that nowadays! I love the 70s!
I remember my grandmother telling me it wasn't a matter of age about who got it and who didn't. Some people could get their head round it and some people just couldn't. She said the lady she worked with in the local corner shop just couldn't understand it, but she thought it was quite easy because "all you had to do was count to 100"
ok, i'll tell you... For more than a thousand years, from the year 775 AD until 14-February 1971, England used the Carolingian monetary system. During those years, a Pound was worth 240 pence. This currency system continued until the formation of Great Britain (1700s) and United Kingdom (1800s). 1 Pound = 20 shillings 1 Shilling = 12 pence A penny is further divided into half penny and one-fourth penny called farthing. If the price of an item cost less than a shilling (pence only), it is written as 11d, 10d, 9d, 5¼d, etc. The letter "d" means "denarius". It is the Latin word for the standard silver coin introduced by the Romans. If the price has both shillings and pence, it is written with slash (/) as separator. Example: 15 shillings and 6 pence is written as 15/6. If the price is exactly 15 shillings without pence, it is written as 15/- If the price has pounds, shillings and pence, the separator can either be slash (/) or dash (-). Example: 2 pounds, 15 shillings and 6 pence is written as £2/15/6 or £2-15-6. When adding prices, you should have memorised the 12 Times Table to be able to add prices. For example, you bought 5 items in a supermarket: Item#1 is 15/7 Item#2 is 16/8 Item#3 is 17/9 Item#4 is 18/10 Item#5 is 19/11 Total in shillings and pence: 88/9 Total in £sd: £4/8/9 By adding all the shillings and all the pence, you will get a total of 85 shillings and 45 pence. To get the exact amount in shillings and pence, you need to think how many shillings are there in 45 pence. The answer is 3 shillings with a remainder of 9 pence. Add 3 shillings to 85 shillings; you'll get a total of 88 shillings. Therefore, the total amount you bought in the supermarket was 88 shillings and 9 pence (88/9) or 4 Pounds 8 shillings 9 pence (£4/8/9). This is the reason why back in the days, British children were taught to memorise the 12 Times Table. To make it simple, the old money of Britain was similar to the height of a person expressed in feet and inches. Examples: 5'7, 5'9, 5'11, 6'2. The amount in shillings is similar to the number of feet while the amount in pence is similar to the number of inches. A lot of people born after 1971 (or not yet an adult in 1971) thought that the Pounds, Shillings and Pence was a very difficult system when it was still in use in Britain. Videos in youtube always give the impression that it was a very complicated system. Someone even made a comment that it would be very difficult to give change if you are selling an item worth £1/5/9 (1 Pound 5 shillings and 9 pence) and the customer gave you a £5 note. hahahahaha... His comment shows that he did not live during the pre-decimal era. In schools, children were taught the arithmetic of the Pounds, Shillings and Pence system but in reality people in Britain don't count money in Pounds in their everyday lives; they only count in shillings and pence. It should be noted that after World War-2, there were only 3 banknotes in Britain: 10-shilling note, £1 note (20 shillings) and £5 note (100 shillings). The £10 note (200 shillings) was only re-introduced in 1964 while the £20 note (400 shillings) was re-introduced in 1970. During the pre-decimal era, prices in street markets, stores, supermarkets, department stores and even petrol stations were expressed in shillings and pence only. At Harrods or Marks & Spencer, you would see the prices of items were 67/8, 45/6, 54/10, 49/11, etc. The "Pounds, Shillings and Pence" will only show on the cash register during check out. In street markets, there were no cash registers, sellers just count and compute for change in their heads or using a pen and paper. During that time, shilling was the de facto main unit of currency while the Pound was the de facto superunit. The Pound as the de jure main unit of currency was only expressed in prices of expensive products such as TVs, refrigerators, cars, etc., in real estate properties and in big business transactions especially in international trade and commerce. If an item only costs 1 Pound 5 shillings and 9 pence, it would be written as 25/9 instead of £1/5/9. If the customer gave a £5 note which is equivalent to 100 shillings, the customer's change is obviously 74/3. The seller would then give the customer three £1 notes (60 shillings), one 10-shilling note, two florin coins (4 shillings) and a 3-pence coin. For the sake of that guy's curiosity on how to compute for the change if the price of an item is expressed in Pounds Shillings and Pence, here's how it works: When it comes to giving or receiving a change, you only need to remember 20 and 12. There are 20 shillings in a Pound and there are 12 pence in a shilling. If the price of an item costs 1 Pound and 5 shillings (£1/5/-) and the money given by the customer was £5, round-up £1 (1 becomes 2) and then subtract it from £5 (5-2=3). Subtract 5/- from 20/- (20-5=15). Therefore, the customer's change is 3 Pounds and 15 shillings (£3/15/-) If the price of an item costs 1 Pound 5 shillings and 9 pence (£1/5/9) and the money given by the customer was £5, round-up both £1 (1 becomes 2) and 5/- (5 becomes 6). Subtract £2 from £5 (5-2=3) and subtract 6/- from 20/- (20-6=14). Subtract 9 pence from 12 pence (12-9=3). Therefore, the customer's change is 3 Pounds 14 shillings and 3 pence (£3/14/3) From a currency similar to feet and inches (like a person's height) to a currency based on 10s and 100s. This is the reason why a lot of people in Britain find it hard to adjust when decimalisation was implemented in 1971 plus the fact that the decimalisation format used by the British government was flawed. From a very flexible denomination of 240 pence to a Pound, the British government chose a cramped 100 "new pence" to a Pound. On 15-February 1971, the shilling was devalued to 5 "new pence" (no longer 12) so that one Pound would be equivalent to 100 "new pence". Among former British colonies that transitioned to decimal currency, Ghana is the best. Ghana's decimal currency called Cedi (₵) is equivalent to 8 shillings and 4 pence (8/4) or 100 pence. Therefore, all the old pence are equally convertible to the new decimal currency. No need to worry about adjustment of prices; only the name of the currency and its denomination will change. 8/4 is ₵1.00 which means one Ghanaian Pound is equal to two Cedis and 40 pesewa (£1=₵2.40). In 1970, Bermuda Islands followed Ghana's decimalisation format. One Bermudian Pound is equal to two Bermudian Dollars and 40 cents (£1=$2.40). When South Africa decimalised the South African Pound, it converted 10 shillings (120 pence) to the new currency called Rand. 120 pence were converted to 100 cents. A little adjustment needs to be made when it comes to pricing and balancing bank accounts because 1.20 pence shall be equivalent to 1 cent. One South African Pound is equal to two South African Rands (£1=R2.00). South Africa's format of decimalisation from Pounds to the new decimalised currency was followed by Australia, New Zealand and Nigeria. Britain did the worst decimalisation format. Britain converted 20 shillings (240 pence) to 100 pence. Inflation was the result. The government of Prime Minister Harold Wilson was too afraid to lose the Pound as Britain's currency that's why he followed the advice of the Bank of England to retain the Pound. BOE and Harold Wilson did not follow the format of Ghana's new decimalised currency based on 8/4 (100 pence) nor South Africa's version of decimalised currency based on 10/- (120 pence converted to 100 cents). Instead, Britain decimalised the Pound by shrinking its value from 240 pence to 100 pence only. Some people in Britain even thought that the value of their money/income has diminished because in every shilling they spend (5 new pence) they were ripped off by the government for 7 pence. Devaluing the shilling from 12 pence to 5 pence was not a joke especially during the time when prices were still cheap. The ill-conceived decimalisation of the Pound in 1971 was one of the "ingredients" of the economic disaster of Britain during the turbulent decade of the 1970s. It may not be the main reason but it contributed to the economic crisis during that time. Maybe it's true that 10 is simpler than 12 or the decimal currency system is simpler than imperial currency system but the transition of Britain to decimal currency system in 1971 was NOT simple.
I served petrol in a garage in the old £sd days. The pumps there had indicators that not only showed the amount of fuel being pumped in gallons and fractions of gallons, but also showed the price, but only in shilling and pence. So if someone filled up it would show, for the example, 27/10d which would translate as £1"7s"10d. Alot of things back then were advertised using only shillings and pence omitting the use of the word pound. Prices displayed as, say 39/11d (£1"19"11) or 29/6d (£1"9"6) were commonplace.
Before decimalisation, £1 = 20 shillings; 1 shilling = 12 pence. Therefore, £1 = 240 pence. On 15-February 1971, the shilling was devalued to 5 "new pence" (no longer 12), which means £1 = 100 "new pence". A lot of people born after 1971 (or not yet an adult in 1971) thought that the Pounds, Shillings and Pence was a very difficult system when it was still in use in Britain. Videos in youtube always give the impression that it was a very complicated system. Someone even made a comment that it would be very difficult to give change if you are selling an item worth £1/5/9 (1 Pound 5 shillings and 9 pence) and the customer gave you a £5 note. hahahahaha... His comment shows that he did not live during the pre-decimal era. In schools, children were taught the arithmetic of the Pounds, Shillings and Pence system but in reality people in Britain don't count money in Pounds in their everyday lives; they only count in shillings and pence. It should be noted that after World War-2, there were only 3 banknotes in Britain: 10-shilling note, £1 note (20 shillings) and £5 note (100 shillings). The £10 note (200 shillings) was only re-introduced in 1964 while the £20 note (400 shillings) was re-introduced in 1970. During the pre-decimal era, prices in street markets, stores, supermarkets, department stores and even petrol stations were expressed in shillings and pence only. At Harrods or Marks & Spencer, you would see the prices of items were 67/8, 45/6, 54/10, 49/11, etc. The "Pounds, Shillings and Pence" will only show on the cash register during check out. In street markets, there were no cash registers, sellers just count and compute for change in their heads or using a pen and paper. During that time, shilling was the de facto main unit of currency while the Pound was the de facto superunit. The Pound as the de jure main unit of currency was only expressed in prices of expensive products such as TVs, refrigerators, cars, etc., in real estate properties and in big business transactions especially in international trade and commerce. If an item only costs 1 Pound 5 shillings and 9 pence, it would be written as 25/9 instead of £1/5/9. If the customer gave a £5 note which is equivalent to 100 shillings, the customer's change is obviously 74/3. The seller would then give the customer three £1 notes (60 shillings), one 10-shilling note, two florin coins (4 shillings) and a 3-pence coin. To make it simple, the old money of Britain was similar to the height of a person expressed in feet and inches. Examples: 5'7, 5'9, 5'11, 6'2. The amount in shillings is similar to the number of feet while the amount in pence is similar to the number of inches. From a currency similar to feet and inches to a currency based on 10s and 100s. This is the reason why a lot of people in Britain find it hard to adjust when decimalisation was implemented in 1971 plus the fact that the decimalisation format used by the British government was flawed. From a very flexible denomination of 240 pence to a Pound, the British government chose a cramped 100 "new pence" to a Pound. Among former British colonies that transitioned to decimal currency, Ghana is the best. Ghana's decimal currency called Cedi (₵) is equivalent to 8 shillings and 4 pence (8/4) or 100 pence. Therefore, all the old pence are equally convertible to the new decimal currency. No need to worry about adjustment of prices; only the name of the currency and its denomination will change. 8/4 is ₵1.00 which means one Ghanaian Pound is equal to two Cedis and 40 pesewa (£1=₵2.40). In 1970, Bermuda Islands followed Ghana's decimalisation format. One Bermudian Pound is equal to two Bermudian Dollars and 40 cents (£1=$2.40). When South Africa decimalised the South African Pound, it converted 10 shillings (120 pence) to the new currency called Rand. 120 pence were converted to 100 cents. A little adjustment needs to be made when it comes to pricing and balancing bank accounts because 1.20 pence shall be equivalent to 1 cent. One South African Pound is equal to two South African Rands (£1=R2.00). South Africa's format of decimalisation from Pounds to the new decimalised currency was followed by Australia, New Zealand and Nigeria. Britain did the worst decimalisation format. Britain converted 20 shillings (240 pence) to 100 pence. Inflation was the result. The government of Prime Minister Harold Wilson was too afraid to lose the Pound as Britain's currency that's why he followed the advice of the Bank of England to retain the Pound. BOE and Harold Wilson did not follow the format of Ghana's new decimalised currency based on 8/4 (100 pence) nor South Africa's version of decimalised currency based on 10/- (120 pence converted to 100 cents). Instead, Britain decimalised the Pound by shrinking its value from 240 pence to 100 pence only. Some people in Britain even thought that the value of their money/income has diminished because in every shilling they spend (5 new pence) they were ripped off by the government for 7 pence. Devaluing the shilling from 12 pence to 5 pence was not a joke especially during the time when prices were still cheap. The ill-conceived decimalisation of the Pound in 1971 was one of the "ingredients" of the economic disaster of Britain during the turbulent decade of the 1970s. It may not be the main reason but it contributed to the economic crisis during that time. Maybe it's true that 10 is simpler than 12 or the decimal currency system is simpler than imperial currency system but the transition of Britain to decimal currency system in 1971 was NOT simple.
It's amazing looking back on these things. A bit like resistance to same sex marriage, once it became real it was like it never was a problem. Listening to people like Mr Plumb it was almost as if the sun would refuse to rise the next day.
First and for-most Secret History was a great documentary on Channel Four as Channel Four "then" was a good quality television provider ... sadly The Opposite Now!. I was 5 & 10 months then, I remember the New Fifty Pence piece in late 69 and of-course Decimal Day.
@@patrickdunning9820 hmmm... For more than a thousand years, from the year 775 AD until 14-February 1971, England used the Carolingian monetary system. During those years, a Pound was worth 240 pence. This currency system continued until the formation of Great Britain (1700s) and United Kingdom (1800s). 1 Pound = 20 shillings 1 Shilling = 12 pence A penny is further divided into half penny and one-fourth penny called farthing. If the price of an item cost less than a shilling (pence only), it is written as 11d, 10d, 9d, 5¼d, etc. The letter "d" means "denarius". It is the Latin word for the standard silver coin introduced by the Romans. If the price has both shillings and pence, it is written with slash (/) as separator. Example: 15 shillings and 6 pence is written as 15/6. If the price is exactly 15 shillings without pence, it is written as 15/- If the price has pounds, shillings and pence, the separator can either be slash (/) or dash (-). Example: 2 pounds, 15 shillings and 6 pence is written as £2/15/6 or £2-15-6. When adding prices, you should have memorised the 12 Times Table to be able to add prices. For example, you bought 5 items in a supermarket: Item#1 is 15/7 Item#2 is 16/8 Item#3 is 17/9 Item#4 is 18/10 Item#5 is 19/11 Total in shillings and pence: 88/9 Total in £sd: £4/8/9 By adding all the shillings and all the pence, you will get a total of 85 shillings and 45 pence. To get the exact amount in shillings and pence, you need to think how many shillings are there in 45 pence. The answer is 3 shillings with a remainder of 9 pence. Add 3 shillings to 85 shillings; you'll get a total of 88 shillings. Therefore, the total amount you bought in the supermarket was 88 shillings and 9 pence (88/9) or 4 Pounds 8 shillings 9 pence (£4/8/9). This is the reason why back in the days, British children were taught to memorise the 12 Times Table. To make it simple, the old money of Britain was similar to the height of a person expressed in feet and inches. Examples: 5'7, 5'9, 5'11, 6'2. The amount in shillings is similar to the number of feet while the amount in pence is similar to the number of inches. A lot of people born after 1971 (or not yet an adult in 1971) thought that the Pounds, Shillings and Pence was a very difficult system when it was still in use in Britain. Videos in youtube always give the impression that it was a very complicated system. Someone even made a comment that it would be very difficult to give change if you are selling an item worth £1/5/9 (1 Pound 5 shillings and 9 pence) and the customer gave you a £5 note. hahahahaha... His comment shows that he did not live during the pre-decimal era. In schools, children were taught the arithmetic of the Pounds, Shillings and Pence system but in reality people in Britain don't count money in Pounds in their everyday lives; they only count in shillings and pence. It should be noted that after World War-2, there were only 3 banknotes in Britain: 10-shilling note, £1 note (20 shillings) and £5 note (100 shillings). The £10 note (200 shillings) was only re-introduced in 1964 while the £20 note (400 shillings) was re-introduced in 1970. During the pre-decimal era, prices in street markets, stores, supermarkets, department stores and even petrol stations were expressed in shillings and pence only. At Harrods or Marks & Spencer, you would see the prices of items were 67/8, 45/6, 54/10, 49/11, etc. The "Pounds, Shillings and Pence" will only show on the cash register during check out. In street markets, there were no cash registers, sellers just count and compute for change in their heads or using a pen and paper. During that time, shilling was the de facto main unit of currency while the Pound was the de facto superunit. The Pound as the de jure main unit of currency was only expressed in prices of expensive products such as TVs, refrigerators, cars, etc., in real estate properties and in big business transactions especially in international trade and commerce. If an item only costs 1 Pound 5 shillings and 9 pence, it would be written as 25/9 instead of £1/5/9. If the customer gave a £5 note which is equivalent to 100 shillings, the customer's change is obviously 74/3. The seller would then give the customer three £1 notes (60 shillings), one 10-shilling note, two florin coins (4 shillings) and a 3-pence coin. For the sake of that guy's curiosity on how to compute for the change if the price of an item is expressed in Pounds Shillings and Pence, here's how it works: When it comes to giving or receiving a change, you only need to remember 20 and 12. There are 20 shillings in a Pound and there are 12 pence in a shilling. If the price of an item costs 1 Pound and 5 shillings (£1/5/-) and the money given by the customer was £5, round-up £1 (1 becomes 2) and then subtract it from £5 (5-2=3). Subtract 5/- from 20/- (20-5=15). Therefore, the customer's change is 3 Pounds and 15 shillings (£3/15/-) If the price of an item costs 1 Pound 5 shillings and 9 pence (£1/5/9) and the money given by the customer was £5, round-up both £1 (1 becomes 2) and 5/- (5 becomes 6). Subtract £2 from £5 (5-2=3) and subtract 6/- from 20/- (20-6=14). Subtract 9 pence from 12 pence (12-9=3). Therefore, the customer's change is 3 Pounds 14 shillings and 3 pence (£3/14/3) From a currency similar to feet and inches (like a person's height) to a currency based on 10s and 100s. This is the reason why a lot of people in Britain find it hard to adjust when decimalisation was implemented in 1971 plus the fact that the decimalisation format used by the British government was flawed. From a very flexible denomination of 240 pence to a Pound, the British government chose a cramped 100 "new pence" to a Pound. On 15-February 1971, the shilling was devalued to 5 "new pence" (no longer 12) so that one Pound would be equivalent to 100 "new pence". Among former British colonies that transitioned to decimal currency, Ghana is the best. Ghana's decimal currency called Cedi (₵) is equivalent to 8 shillings and 4 pence (8/4) or 100 pence. Therefore, all the old pence are equally convertible to the new decimal currency. No need to worry about adjustment of prices; only the name of the currency and its denomination will change. 8/4 is ₵1.00 which means one Ghanaian Pound is equal to two Cedis and 40 pesewa (£1=₵2.40). In 1970, Bermuda Islands followed Ghana's decimalisation format. One Bermudian Pound is equal to two Bermudian Dollars and 40 cents (£1=$2.40). When South Africa decimalised the South African Pound, it converted 10 shillings (120 pence) to the new currency called Rand. 120 pence were converted to 100 cents. A little adjustment needs to be made when it comes to pricing and balancing bank accounts because 1.20 pence shall be equivalent to 1 cent. One South African Pound is equal to two South African Rands (£1=R2.00). South Africa's format of decimalisation from Pounds to the new decimalised currency was followed by Australia, New Zealand and Nigeria. Britain did the worst decimalisation format. Britain converted 20 shillings (240 pence) to 100 pence. Inflation was the result. The government of Prime Minister Harold Wilson was too afraid to lose the Pound as Britain's currency that's why he followed the advice of the Bank of England to retain the Pound. BOE and Harold Wilson did not follow the format of Ghana's new decimalised currency based on 8/4 (100 pence) nor South Africa's version of decimalised currency based on 10/- (120 pence converted to 100 cents). Instead, Britain decimalised the Pound by shrinking its value from 240 pence to 100 pence only. Some people in Britain even thought that the value of their money/income has diminished because in every shilling they spend (5 new pence) they were ripped off by the government for 7 pence. Devaluing the shilling from 12 pence to 5 pence was not a joke especially during the time when prices were still cheap. The ill-conceived decimalisation of the Pound in 1971 was one of the "ingredients" of the economic disaster of Britain during the turbulent decade of the 1970s. It may not be the main reason but it contributed to the economic crisis during that time. Maybe it's true that 10 is simpler than 12 or the decimal currency system is simpler than imperial currency system but the transition of Britain to decimal currency system in 1971 was NOT simple.
It is interesting to speculate - if we had not decimalised in 1971 and were only now considering the move, then it would be quite a different matter. The smallest coin could now be a shilling, so decimalisation would only involve abolishing every coin smaller than a shilling and having a “decimal” shilling of five new pence. In fact, this is the system which was introduced by Pope Pius IX in the States of the Church, which still had pounds shillings and pence when he came to power. The pound (or Lire) was decimalised into 100 centimes, however, the coins continued to carry their value in shillings (or solidi) so that, for example, the half Lire coin had “ten shillings” in the middle and, around the rim, in very small lettering, “50 centimes” (in Italian, of course). This meant that the population could continue to reckon in pounds and shillings, as they were used to.
It was the convertion back to pre decimal that made the whole thing complex. Instead of just working with the new coins they kept asking how much 9p was in shillings and pence.
I think keeping the pound along with the shilling and florin helped, I can’t see the 10 shilling conversion being very smooth. I remember doing Lsd in school and buying penny (the old big copper ones) biscuits (digestives) as an extra at lunch. The problem was that money back then was worth something so rounding meant something. Today a shilling is practically worth nothing.
I think the clip at the end is the most illustrative. Plumb was wrong and it showed how complex the old system really was. I also think it’s work noting that everything over a pound was base 10.
Being born in may 1969 I was far too young to understand this, not even being 2 when this happened but even in the late 1970s I never understood why we used 12× tables at school but I didn't realise it was 12d to 1/-s
also - don't forget that we have 12 inches in a foot - so that was another reason why we need the 12 times table. And we still use feet and inches today
@@Nickcooper625The same us true here in Canada. I started school in September, 1973 and they taught us only metric. Nevertheless, I've grown up measuring height in feet and inches, weight of people and meat in pounds, recipes in tsp, tbsp, oz, and cups; housing area in sq. ft. and land area in acres. It's still all around us culturally.
These people are hilarious. Every other currency on Earth was decimal by 1971, and every currency in history was inflationary. But inflation was 'invented' the moment a 7p cup of tea cost 3 new pence. Well, thank you for casting the entire world out of Eden there by joining the 18th century, Britain... 🙄
It is interesting that we keep some traditions and not others. Like feet and inches for height, stones and pounds for weight and miles per hour on road signs.
Maybe Paul Plumb had a point. Considering he was selling shirts in his shop for 27/- (£1.35 post decimalisation), now you’ll be lucky to get a decent shirt for £27.00. Inflation sky rocketed after decimalisation and is still doing so. We’ve been conned folks. Up the Empire!
If I had been on the helm, I would have introduced 100, 500, 1.000 etc. pence notes, dropped the shilling for a 20p coin, made the pound notes "special order", and be done with it. ;)
For more than a thousand years, from the year 775 AD until 14-February 1971, England used the Carolingian monetary system. During those years, a Pound was worth 240 pence. This currency system continued until the formation of Great Britain (1700s) and United Kingdom (1800s). 1 Pound = 20 shillings 1 Shilling = 12 pence A penny is further divided into half penny and one-fourth penny called farthing. If the price of an item cost less than a shilling (pence only), it is written as 11d, 10d, 9d, 5¼d, etc. The letter "d" means "denarius". It is the Latin word for the standard silver coin introduced by the Romans. If the price has both shillings and pence, it is written with slash (/) as separator. Example: 15 shillings and 6 pence is written as 15/6. If the price is exactly 15 shillings without pence, it is written as 15/- If the price has pounds, shillings and pence, the separator can either be slash (/) or dash (-). Example: 2 pounds, 15 shillings and 6 pence is written as £2/15/6 or £2-15-6. When adding prices, you should have memorised the 12 Times Table to be able to add prices. For example, you bought 5 items in a supermarket: Item#1 is 15/7 Item#2 is 16/8 Item#3 is 17/9 Item#4 is 18/10 Item#5 is 19/11 Total in shillings and pence: 88/9 Total in £sd: £4/8/9 By adding all the shillings and all the pence, you will get a total of 85 shillings and 45 pence. To get the exact amount in shillings and pence, you need to think how many shillings are there in 45 pence. The answer is 3 shillings with a remainder of 9 pence. Add 3 shillings to 85 shillings; you'll get a total of 88 shillings. Therefore, the total amount you bought in the supermarket was 88 shillings and 9 pence (88/9) or 4 Pounds 8 shillings 9 pence (£4/8/9). This is the reason why back in the days, British children were taught to memorise the 12 Times Table. To make it simple, the old money of Britain was similar to the height of a person expressed in feet and inches. Examples: 5'7, 5'9, 5'11, 6'2. The amount in shillings is similar to the number of feet while the amount in pence is similar to the number of inches. A lot of people born after 1971 (or not yet an adult in 1971) thought that the Pounds, Shillings and Pence was a very difficult system when it was still in use in Britain. Videos in youtube always give the impression that it was a very complicated system. Someone even made a comment that it would be very difficult to give change if you are selling an item worth £1/5/9 (1 Pound 5 shillings and 9 pence) and the customer gave you a £5 note. hahahahaha... His comment shows that he did not live during the pre-decimal era. In schools, children were taught the arithmetic of the Pounds, Shillings and Pence system but in reality people in Britain don't count money in Pounds in their everyday lives; they only count in shillings and pence. It should be noted that after World War-2, there were only 3 banknotes in Britain: 10-shilling note, £1 note (20 shillings) and £5 note (100 shillings). The £10 note (200 shillings) was only re-introduced in 1964 while the £20 note (400 shillings) was re-introduced in 1970. During the pre-decimal era, prices in street markets, stores, supermarkets, department stores and even petrol stations were expressed in shillings and pence only. At Harrods or Marks & Spencer, you would see the prices of items were 67/8, 45/6, 54/10, 49/11, etc. The "Pounds, Shillings and Pence" will only show on the cash register during check out. In street markets, there were no cash registers, sellers just count and compute for change in their heads or using a pen and paper. During that time, shilling was the de facto main unit of currency while the Pound was the de facto superunit. The Pound as the de jure main unit of currency was only expressed in prices of expensive products such as TVs, refrigerators, cars, etc., in real estate properties and in big business transactions especially in international trade and commerce. If an item only costs 1 Pound 5 shillings and 9 pence, it would be written as 25/9 instead of £1/5/9. If the customer gave a £5 note which is equivalent to 100 shillings, the customer's change is obviously 74/3. The seller would then give the customer three £1 notes (60 shillings), one 10-shilling note, two florin coins (4 shillings) and a 3-pence coin. For the sake of that guy's curiosity on how to compute for the change if the price of an item is expressed in Pounds Shillings and Pence, here's how it works: When it comes to giving or receiving a change, you only need to remember 20 and 12. There are 20 shillings in a Pound and there are 12 pence in a shilling. If the price of an item costs 1 Pound and 5 shillings (£1/5/-) and the money given by the customer was £5, round-up £1 (1 becomes 2) and then subtract it from £5 (5-2=3). Subtract 5/- from 20/- (20-5=15). Therefore, the customer's change is 3 Pounds and 15 shillings (£3/15/-) If the price of an item costs 1 Pound 5 shillings and 9 pence (£1/5/9) and the money given by the customer was £5, round-up both £1 (1 becomes 2) and 5/- (5 becomes 6). Subtract £2 from £5 (5-2=3) and subtract 6/- from 20/- (20-6=14). Subtract 9 pence from 12 pence (12-9=3). Therefore, the customer's change is 3 Pounds 14 shillings and 3 pence (£3/14/3) From a currency similar to feet and inches (like a person's height) to a currency based on 10s and 100s. This is the reason why a lot of people in Britain find it hard to adjust when decimalisation was implemented in 1971 plus the fact that the decimalisation format used by the British government was flawed. From a very flexible denomination of 240 pence to a Pound, the British government chose a cramped 100 "new pence" to a Pound. On 15-February 1971, the shilling was devalued to 5 "new pence" (no longer 12) so that one Pound would be equivalent to 100 "new pence". Among former British colonies that transitioned to decimal currency, Ghana is the best. Ghana's decimal currency called Cedi (₵) is equivalent to 8 shillings and 4 pence (8/4) or 100 pence. Therefore, all the old pence are equally convertible to the new decimal currency. No need to worry about adjustment of prices; only the name of the currency and its denomination will change. 8/4 is ₵1.00 which means one Ghanaian Pound is equal to two Cedis and 40 pesewa (£1=₵2.40). In 1970, Bermuda Islands followed Ghana's decimalisation format. One Bermudian Pound is equal to two Bermudian Dollars and 40 cents (£1=$2.40). When South Africa decimalised the South African Pound, it converted 10 shillings (120 pence) to the new currency called Rand. 120 pence were converted to 100 cents. A little adjustment needs to be made when it comes to pricing and balancing bank accounts because 1.20 pence shall be equivalent to 1 cent. One South African Pound is equal to two South African Rands (£1=R2.00). South Africa's format of decimalisation from Pounds to the new decimalised currency was followed by Australia, New Zealand and Nigeria. Britain did the worst decimalisation format. Britain converted 20 shillings (240 pence) to 100 pence. Inflation was the result. The government of Prime Minister Harold Wilson was too afraid to lose the Pound as Britain's currency that's why he followed the advice of the Bank of England to retain the Pound. BOE and Harold Wilson did not follow the format of Ghana's new decimalised currency based on 8/4 (100 pence) nor South Africa's version of decimalised currency based on 10/- (120 pence converted to 100 cents). Instead, Britain decimalised the Pound by shrinking its value from 240 pence to 100 pence only. Some people in Britain even thought that the value of their money/income has diminished because in every shilling they spend (5 new pence) they were ripped off by the government for 7 pence. Devaluing the shilling from 12 pence to 5 pence was not a joke especially during the time when prices were still cheap. The ill-conceived decimalisation of the Pound in 1971 was one of the "ingredients" of the economic disaster of Britain during the turbulent decade of the 1970s. It may not be the main reason but it contributed to the economic crisis during that time. Maybe it's true that 10 is simpler than 12 or the decimal currency system is simpler than imperial currency system but the transition of Britain to decimal currency system in 1971 was NOT simple.
Man, all that is just nuts. You're making a pitch for something you're suggesting was 'simple' without stopping to ask yourself why every country in the world that once used it dumped it. Look how long it took you to explain all that. Here's the corresponding modern article: _British currency consisted of a base unit called the pound, which was divided into subunits of 1/100th of its value called a penny (pl. pence). Prices were shown in pounds with the pence indicated after a decimal: £2.39; two pounds a thirty-nine pence. Prices below the value of a pound could be shown in pence only: 67p; sixty-seven pence. Pound values were denominated in paper notes of varying whole-number values. For convenience's sake, coins of certain pence values were also minted; e.g., 1p, 2p, 5p, 10p, 20p, 50p._ The end. I've got that down and I'm not even British.
Thank you for uploading the three sections I really enjoyed watching them. My Grandma never got used to decimalisation and still converted to LSD in her head until she passed away in 1981. The Decimal Dollies made me laugh - imagine that nowadays! I love the 70s!
I remember my grandmother telling me it wasn't a matter of age about who got it and who didn't. Some people could get their head round it and some people just couldn't. She said the lady she worked with in the local corner shop just couldn't understand it, but she thought it was quite easy because "all you had to do was count to 100"
When my father talks old money I can’t get it 🤣 so I can only imagine those poor old people
Loved the school children helping the pensioners.🥰
ok, i'll tell you... For more than a thousand years, from the year 775 AD until 14-February 1971, England used the Carolingian monetary system. During those years, a Pound was worth 240 pence. This currency system continued until the formation of Great Britain (1700s) and United Kingdom (1800s).
1 Pound = 20 shillings
1 Shilling = 12 pence
A penny is further divided into half penny and one-fourth penny called farthing.
If the price of an item cost less than a shilling (pence only), it is written as 11d, 10d, 9d, 5¼d, etc. The letter "d" means "denarius". It is the Latin word for the standard silver coin introduced by the Romans.
If the price has both shillings and pence, it is written with slash (/) as separator. Example: 15 shillings and 6 pence is written as 15/6. If the price is exactly 15 shillings without pence, it is written as 15/-
If the price has pounds, shillings and pence, the separator can either be slash (/) or dash (-). Example: 2 pounds, 15 shillings and 6 pence is written as £2/15/6 or £2-15-6.
When adding prices, you should have memorised the 12 Times Table to be able to add prices.
For example, you bought 5 items in a supermarket:
Item#1 is 15/7
Item#2 is 16/8
Item#3 is 17/9
Item#4 is 18/10
Item#5 is 19/11
Total in shillings and pence: 88/9
Total in £sd: £4/8/9
By adding all the shillings and all the pence, you will get a total of 85 shillings and 45 pence.
To get the exact amount in shillings and pence, you need to think how many shillings are there in 45 pence. The answer is 3 shillings with a remainder of 9 pence.
Add 3 shillings to 85 shillings; you'll get a total of 88 shillings.
Therefore, the total amount you bought in the supermarket was 88 shillings and 9 pence (88/9) or 4 Pounds 8 shillings 9 pence (£4/8/9).
This is the reason why back in the days, British children were taught to memorise the 12 Times Table.
To make it simple, the old money of Britain was similar to the height of a person expressed in feet and inches. Examples: 5'7, 5'9, 5'11, 6'2. The amount in shillings is similar to the number of feet while the amount in pence is similar to the number of inches.
A lot of people born after 1971 (or not yet an adult in 1971) thought that the Pounds, Shillings and Pence was a very difficult system when it was still in use in Britain. Videos in youtube always give the impression that it was a very complicated system. Someone even made a comment that it would be very difficult to give change if you are selling an item worth £1/5/9 (1 Pound 5 shillings and 9 pence) and the customer gave you a £5 note. hahahahaha... His comment shows that he did not live during the pre-decimal era. In schools, children were taught the arithmetic of the Pounds, Shillings and Pence system but in reality people in Britain don't count money in Pounds in their everyday lives; they only count in shillings and pence. It should be noted that after World War-2, there were only 3 banknotes in Britain: 10-shilling note, £1 note (20 shillings) and £5 note (100 shillings). The £10 note (200 shillings) was only re-introduced in 1964 while the £20 note (400 shillings) was re-introduced in 1970. During the pre-decimal era, prices in street markets, stores, supermarkets, department stores and even petrol stations were expressed in shillings and pence only. At Harrods or Marks & Spencer, you would see the prices of items were 67/8, 45/6, 54/10, 49/11, etc. The "Pounds, Shillings and Pence" will only show on the cash register during check out. In street markets, there were no cash registers, sellers just count and compute for change in their heads or using a pen and paper. During that time, shilling was the de facto main unit of currency while the Pound was the de facto superunit. The Pound as the de jure main unit of currency was only expressed in prices of expensive products such as TVs, refrigerators, cars, etc., in real estate properties and in big business transactions especially in international trade and commerce. If an item only costs 1 Pound 5 shillings and 9 pence, it would be written as 25/9 instead of £1/5/9. If the customer gave a £5 note which is equivalent to 100 shillings, the customer's change is obviously 74/3. The seller would then give the customer three £1 notes (60 shillings), one 10-shilling note, two florin coins (4 shillings) and a 3-pence coin. For the sake of that guy's curiosity on how to compute for the change if the price of an item is expressed in Pounds Shillings and Pence, here's how it works:
When it comes to giving or receiving a change, you only need to remember 20 and 12. There are 20 shillings in a Pound and there are 12 pence in a shilling.
If the price of an item costs 1 Pound and 5 shillings (£1/5/-) and the money given by the customer was £5, round-up £1 (1 becomes 2) and then subtract it from £5 (5-2=3). Subtract 5/- from 20/- (20-5=15). Therefore, the customer's change is 3 Pounds and 15 shillings (£3/15/-)
If the price of an item costs 1 Pound 5 shillings and 9 pence (£1/5/9) and the money given by the customer was £5, round-up both £1 (1 becomes 2) and 5/- (5 becomes 6). Subtract £2 from £5 (5-2=3) and subtract 6/- from 20/- (20-6=14). Subtract 9 pence from 12 pence (12-9=3). Therefore, the customer's change is 3 Pounds 14 shillings and 3 pence (£3/14/3)
From a currency similar to feet and inches (like a person's height) to a currency based on 10s and 100s. This is the reason why a lot of people in Britain find it hard to adjust when decimalisation was implemented in 1971 plus the fact that the decimalisation format used by the British government was flawed. From a very flexible denomination of 240 pence to a Pound, the British government chose a cramped 100 "new pence" to a Pound. On 15-February 1971, the shilling was devalued to 5 "new pence" (no longer 12) so that one Pound would be equivalent to 100 "new pence". Among former British colonies that transitioned to decimal currency, Ghana is the best. Ghana's decimal currency called Cedi (₵) is equivalent to 8 shillings and 4 pence (8/4) or 100 pence. Therefore, all the old pence are equally convertible to the new decimal currency. No need to worry about adjustment of prices; only the name of the currency and its denomination will change. 8/4 is ₵1.00 which means one Ghanaian Pound is equal to two Cedis and 40 pesewa (£1=₵2.40). In 1970, Bermuda Islands followed Ghana's decimalisation format. One Bermudian Pound is equal to two Bermudian Dollars and 40 cents (£1=$2.40). When South Africa decimalised the South African Pound, it converted 10 shillings (120 pence) to the new currency called Rand. 120 pence were converted to 100 cents. A little adjustment needs to be made when it comes to pricing and balancing bank accounts because 1.20 pence shall be equivalent to 1 cent. One South African Pound is equal to two South African Rands (£1=R2.00). South Africa's format of decimalisation from Pounds to the new decimalised currency was followed by Australia, New Zealand and Nigeria. Britain did the worst decimalisation format. Britain converted 20 shillings (240 pence) to 100 pence. Inflation was the result. The government of Prime Minister Harold Wilson was too afraid to lose the Pound as Britain's currency that's why he followed the advice of the Bank of England to retain the Pound. BOE and Harold Wilson did not follow the format of Ghana's new decimalised currency based on 8/4 (100 pence) nor South Africa's version of decimalised currency based on 10/- (120 pence converted to 100 cents). Instead, Britain decimalised the Pound by shrinking its value from 240 pence to 100 pence only. Some people in Britain even thought that the value of their money/income has diminished because in every shilling they spend (5 new pence) they were ripped off by the government for 7 pence. Devaluing the shilling from 12 pence to 5 pence was not a joke especially during the time when prices were still cheap. The ill-conceived decimalisation of the Pound in 1971 was one of the "ingredients" of the economic disaster of Britain during the turbulent decade of the 1970s. It may not be the main reason but it contributed to the economic crisis during that time. Maybe it's true that 10 is simpler than 12 or the decimal currency system is simpler than imperial currency system but the transition of Britain to decimal currency system in 1971 was NOT simple.
Imagine the reaction if we went back to the old pounds, shillings and pence
No more LSD? How the hell else am I going to trip out?
I served petrol in a garage in the old £sd days. The pumps there had indicators that not only showed the amount of fuel being pumped in gallons and fractions of gallons, but also showed the price, but only in shilling and pence. So if someone filled up it would show, for the example, 27/10d which would translate as £1"7s"10d.
Alot of things back then were advertised using only shillings and pence omitting the use of the word pound. Prices displayed as, say 39/11d (£1"19"11) or 29/6d (£1"9"6) were commonplace.
Before decimalisation, £1 = 20 shillings; 1 shilling = 12 pence. Therefore, £1 = 240 pence. On 15-February 1971, the shilling was devalued to 5 "new pence" (no longer 12), which means £1 = 100 "new pence". A lot of people born after 1971 (or not yet an adult in 1971) thought that the Pounds, Shillings and Pence was a very difficult system when it was still in use in Britain. Videos in youtube always give the impression that it was a very complicated system. Someone even made a comment that it would be very difficult to give change if you are selling an item worth £1/5/9 (1 Pound 5 shillings and 9 pence) and the customer gave you a £5 note. hahahahaha... His comment shows that he did not live during the pre-decimal era. In schools, children were taught the arithmetic of the Pounds, Shillings and Pence system but in reality people in Britain don't count money in Pounds in their everyday lives; they only count in shillings and pence. It should be noted that after World War-2, there were only 3 banknotes in Britain: 10-shilling note, £1 note (20 shillings) and £5 note (100 shillings). The £10 note (200 shillings) was only re-introduced in 1964 while the £20 note (400 shillings) was re-introduced in 1970. During the pre-decimal era, prices in street markets, stores, supermarkets, department stores and even petrol stations were expressed in shillings and pence only. At Harrods or Marks & Spencer, you would see the prices of items were 67/8, 45/6, 54/10, 49/11, etc. The "Pounds, Shillings and Pence" will only show on the cash register during check out. In street markets, there were no cash registers, sellers just count and compute for change in their heads or using a pen and paper. During that time, shilling was the de facto main unit of currency while the Pound was the de facto superunit. The Pound as the de jure main unit of currency was only expressed in prices of expensive products such as TVs, refrigerators, cars, etc., in real estate properties and in big business transactions especially in international trade and commerce. If an item only costs 1 Pound 5 shillings and 9 pence, it would be written as 25/9 instead of £1/5/9. If the customer gave a £5 note which is equivalent to 100 shillings, the customer's change is obviously 74/3. The seller would then give the customer three £1 notes (60 shillings), one 10-shilling note, two florin coins (4 shillings) and a 3-pence coin. To make it simple, the old money of Britain was similar to the height of a person expressed in feet and inches. Examples: 5'7, 5'9, 5'11, 6'2. The amount in shillings is similar to the number of feet while the amount in pence is similar to the number of inches. From a currency similar to feet and inches to a currency based on 10s and 100s. This is the reason why a lot of people in Britain find it hard to adjust when decimalisation was implemented in 1971 plus the fact that the decimalisation format used by the British government was flawed. From a very flexible denomination of 240 pence to a Pound, the British government chose a cramped 100 "new pence" to a Pound. Among former British colonies that transitioned to decimal currency, Ghana is the best. Ghana's decimal currency called Cedi (₵) is equivalent to 8 shillings and 4 pence (8/4) or 100 pence. Therefore, all the old pence are equally convertible to the new decimal currency. No need to worry about adjustment of prices; only the name of the currency and its denomination will change. 8/4 is ₵1.00 which means one Ghanaian Pound is equal to two Cedis and 40 pesewa (£1=₵2.40). In 1970, Bermuda Islands followed Ghana's decimalisation format. One Bermudian Pound is equal to two Bermudian Dollars and 40 cents (£1=$2.40). When South Africa decimalised the South African Pound, it converted 10 shillings (120 pence) to the new currency called Rand. 120 pence were converted to 100 cents. A little adjustment needs to be made when it comes to pricing and balancing bank accounts because 1.20 pence shall be equivalent to 1 cent. One South African Pound is equal to two South African Rands (£1=R2.00). South Africa's format of decimalisation from Pounds to the new decimalised currency was followed by Australia, New Zealand and Nigeria. Britain did the worst decimalisation format. Britain converted 20 shillings (240 pence) to 100 pence. Inflation was the result. The government of Prime Minister Harold Wilson was too afraid to lose the Pound as Britain's currency that's why he followed the advice of the Bank of England to retain the Pound. BOE and Harold Wilson did not follow the format of Ghana's new decimalised currency based on 8/4 (100 pence) nor South Africa's version of decimalised currency based on 10/- (120 pence converted to 100 cents). Instead, Britain decimalised the Pound by shrinking its value from 240 pence to 100 pence only. Some people in Britain even thought that the value of their money/income has diminished because in every shilling they spend (5 new pence) they were ripped off by the government for 7 pence. Devaluing the shilling from 12 pence to 5 pence was not a joke especially during the time when prices were still cheap. The ill-conceived decimalisation of the Pound in 1971 was one of the "ingredients" of the economic disaster of Britain during the turbulent decade of the 1970s. It may not be the main reason but it contributed to the economic crisis during that time. Maybe it's true that 10 is simpler than 12 or the decimal currency system is simpler than imperial currency system but the transition of Britain to decimal currency system in 1971 was NOT simple.
It's amazing looking back on these things. A bit like resistance to same sex marriage, once it became real it was like it never was a problem.
Listening to people like Mr Plumb it was almost as if the sun would refuse to rise the next day.
First and for-most Secret History was a great documentary on Channel Four as Channel Four "then" was a good quality television provider ... sadly The Opposite Now!.
I was 5 & 10 months then, I remember the New Fifty Pence piece in late 69 and of-course Decimal Day.
I was 6 when it came in, remember all school kids were given about 10p in new money, never understand how old money worked.
@@patrickdunning9820 hmmm... For more than a thousand years, from the year 775 AD until 14-February 1971, England used the Carolingian monetary system. During those years, a Pound was worth 240 pence. This currency system continued until the formation of Great Britain (1700s) and United Kingdom (1800s).
1 Pound = 20 shillings
1 Shilling = 12 pence
A penny is further divided into half penny and one-fourth penny called farthing.
If the price of an item cost less than a shilling (pence only), it is written as 11d, 10d, 9d, 5¼d, etc. The letter "d" means "denarius". It is the Latin word for the standard silver coin introduced by the Romans.
If the price has both shillings and pence, it is written with slash (/) as separator. Example: 15 shillings and 6 pence is written as 15/6. If the price is exactly 15 shillings without pence, it is written as 15/-
If the price has pounds, shillings and pence, the separator can either be slash (/) or dash (-). Example: 2 pounds, 15 shillings and 6 pence is written as £2/15/6 or £2-15-6.
When adding prices, you should have memorised the 12 Times Table to be able to add prices.
For example, you bought 5 items in a supermarket:
Item#1 is 15/7
Item#2 is 16/8
Item#3 is 17/9
Item#4 is 18/10
Item#5 is 19/11
Total in shillings and pence: 88/9
Total in £sd: £4/8/9
By adding all the shillings and all the pence, you will get a total of 85 shillings and 45 pence.
To get the exact amount in shillings and pence, you need to think how many shillings are there in 45 pence. The answer is 3 shillings with a remainder of 9 pence.
Add 3 shillings to 85 shillings; you'll get a total of 88 shillings.
Therefore, the total amount you bought in the supermarket was 88 shillings and 9 pence (88/9) or 4 Pounds 8 shillings 9 pence (£4/8/9).
This is the reason why back in the days, British children were taught to memorise the 12 Times Table.
To make it simple, the old money of Britain was similar to the height of a person expressed in feet and inches. Examples: 5'7, 5'9, 5'11, 6'2. The amount in shillings is similar to the number of feet while the amount in pence is similar to the number of inches.
A lot of people born after 1971 (or not yet an adult in 1971) thought that the Pounds, Shillings and Pence was a very difficult system when it was still in use in Britain. Videos in youtube always give the impression that it was a very complicated system. Someone even made a comment that it would be very difficult to give change if you are selling an item worth £1/5/9 (1 Pound 5 shillings and 9 pence) and the customer gave you a £5 note. hahahahaha... His comment shows that he did not live during the pre-decimal era. In schools, children were taught the arithmetic of the Pounds, Shillings and Pence system but in reality people in Britain don't count money in Pounds in their everyday lives; they only count in shillings and pence. It should be noted that after World War-2, there were only 3 banknotes in Britain: 10-shilling note, £1 note (20 shillings) and £5 note (100 shillings). The £10 note (200 shillings) was only re-introduced in 1964 while the £20 note (400 shillings) was re-introduced in 1970. During the pre-decimal era, prices in street markets, stores, supermarkets, department stores and even petrol stations were expressed in shillings and pence only. At Harrods or Marks & Spencer, you would see the prices of items were 67/8, 45/6, 54/10, 49/11, etc. The "Pounds, Shillings and Pence" will only show on the cash register during check out. In street markets, there were no cash registers, sellers just count and compute for change in their heads or using a pen and paper. During that time, shilling was the de facto main unit of currency while the Pound was the de facto superunit. The Pound as the de jure main unit of currency was only expressed in prices of expensive products such as TVs, refrigerators, cars, etc., in real estate properties and in big business transactions especially in international trade and commerce. If an item only costs 1 Pound 5 shillings and 9 pence, it would be written as 25/9 instead of £1/5/9. If the customer gave a £5 note which is equivalent to 100 shillings, the customer's change is obviously 74/3. The seller would then give the customer three £1 notes (60 shillings), one 10-shilling note, two florin coins (4 shillings) and a 3-pence coin. For the sake of that guy's curiosity on how to compute for the change if the price of an item is expressed in Pounds Shillings and Pence, here's how it works:
When it comes to giving or receiving a change, you only need to remember 20 and 12. There are 20 shillings in a Pound and there are 12 pence in a shilling.
If the price of an item costs 1 Pound and 5 shillings (£1/5/-) and the money given by the customer was £5, round-up £1 (1 becomes 2) and then subtract it from £5 (5-2=3). Subtract 5/- from 20/- (20-5=15). Therefore, the customer's change is 3 Pounds and 15 shillings (£3/15/-)
If the price of an item costs 1 Pound 5 shillings and 9 pence (£1/5/9) and the money given by the customer was £5, round-up both £1 (1 becomes 2) and 5/- (5 becomes 6). Subtract £2 from £5 (5-2=3) and subtract 6/- from 20/- (20-6=14). Subtract 9 pence from 12 pence (12-9=3). Therefore, the customer's change is 3 Pounds 14 shillings and 3 pence (£3/14/3)
From a currency similar to feet and inches (like a person's height) to a currency based on 10s and 100s. This is the reason why a lot of people in Britain find it hard to adjust when decimalisation was implemented in 1971 plus the fact that the decimalisation format used by the British government was flawed. From a very flexible denomination of 240 pence to a Pound, the British government chose a cramped 100 "new pence" to a Pound. On 15-February 1971, the shilling was devalued to 5 "new pence" (no longer 12) so that one Pound would be equivalent to 100 "new pence". Among former British colonies that transitioned to decimal currency, Ghana is the best. Ghana's decimal currency called Cedi (₵) is equivalent to 8 shillings and 4 pence (8/4) or 100 pence. Therefore, all the old pence are equally convertible to the new decimal currency. No need to worry about adjustment of prices; only the name of the currency and its denomination will change. 8/4 is ₵1.00 which means one Ghanaian Pound is equal to two Cedis and 40 pesewa (£1=₵2.40). In 1970, Bermuda Islands followed Ghana's decimalisation format. One Bermudian Pound is equal to two Bermudian Dollars and 40 cents (£1=$2.40). When South Africa decimalised the South African Pound, it converted 10 shillings (120 pence) to the new currency called Rand. 120 pence were converted to 100 cents. A little adjustment needs to be made when it comes to pricing and balancing bank accounts because 1.20 pence shall be equivalent to 1 cent. One South African Pound is equal to two South African Rands (£1=R2.00). South Africa's format of decimalisation from Pounds to the new decimalised currency was followed by Australia, New Zealand and Nigeria. Britain did the worst decimalisation format. Britain converted 20 shillings (240 pence) to 100 pence. Inflation was the result. The government of Prime Minister Harold Wilson was too afraid to lose the Pound as Britain's currency that's why he followed the advice of the Bank of England to retain the Pound. BOE and Harold Wilson did not follow the format of Ghana's new decimalised currency based on 8/4 (100 pence) nor South Africa's version of decimalised currency based on 10/- (120 pence converted to 100 cents). Instead, Britain decimalised the Pound by shrinking its value from 240 pence to 100 pence only. Some people in Britain even thought that the value of their money/income has diminished because in every shilling they spend (5 new pence) they were ripped off by the government for 7 pence. Devaluing the shilling from 12 pence to 5 pence was not a joke especially during the time when prices were still cheap. The ill-conceived decimalisation of the Pound in 1971 was one of the "ingredients" of the economic disaster of Britain during the turbulent decade of the 1970s. It may not be the main reason but it contributed to the economic crisis during that time. Maybe it's true that 10 is simpler than 12 or the decimal currency system is simpler than imperial currency system but the transition of Britain to decimal currency system in 1971 was NOT simple.
Noel Moore was the happy and capable man everyone needs to launch a new project
Yes ✋😂😂😂😂😂
It is interesting to speculate - if we had not decimalised in 1971 and were only now considering the move, then it would be quite a different matter. The smallest coin could now be a shilling, so decimalisation would only involve abolishing every coin smaller than a shilling and having a “decimal” shilling of five new pence. In fact, this is the system which was introduced by Pope Pius IX in the States of the Church, which still had pounds shillings and pence when he came to power. The pound (or Lire) was decimalised into 100 centimes, however, the coins continued to carry their value in shillings (or solidi) so that, for example, the half Lire coin had “ten shillings” in the middle and, around the rim, in very small lettering, “50 centimes” (in Italian, of course). This meant that the population could continue to reckon in pounds and shillings, as they were used to.
😂😂😂 nice 👍
It was the convertion back to pre decimal that made the whole thing complex.
Instead of just working with the new coins they kept asking how much 9p was in shillings and pence.
7:01 waiting for the phones to ring - nothing happened because no one knew their phone number.
I think keeping the pound along with the shilling and florin helped, I can’t see the 10 shilling conversion being very smooth. I remember doing Lsd in school and buying penny (the old big copper ones) biscuits (digestives) as an extra at lunch. The problem was that money back then was worth something so rounding meant something. Today a shilling is practically worth nothing.
I’m sure he’s pointing at Barbara’s thrupenny bits at 0:20.
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Now the USA needs to convert to metric
@jbw53191 Never! lol
When I was in Northern Ireland, I was still seeing distance signs and speed signs denominated in miles; the beam in thine own eye!
I think the clip at the end is the most illustrative. Plumb was wrong and it showed how complex the old system really was. I also think it’s work noting that everything over a pound was base 10.
Being born in may 1969 I was far too young to understand this, not even being 2 when this happened but even in the late 1970s I never understood why we used 12× tables at school but I didn't realise it was 12d to 1/-s
also - don't forget that we have 12 inches in a foot - so that was another reason why we need the 12 times table. And we still use feet and inches today
@@footballsoccerx2021 Except that only metric measures were compulsorily taught in schools from 1974
@@Nickcooper625The same us true here in Canada. I started school in September, 1973 and they taught us only metric. Nevertheless, I've grown up measuring height in feet and inches, weight of people and meat in pounds, recipes in tsp, tbsp, oz, and cups; housing area in sq. ft. and land area in acres. It's still all around us culturally.
These people are hilarious. Every other currency on Earth was decimal by 1971, and every currency in history was inflationary. But inflation was 'invented' the moment a 7p cup of tea cost 3 new pence. Well, thank you for casting the entire world out of Eden there by joining the 18th century, Britain... 🙄
It is interesting that we keep some traditions and not others. Like feet and inches for height, stones and pounds for weight and miles per hour on road signs.
The only things that caused concern for American money were the doing away with silver certificates & pulling all bills above $100 from circulation. 💵
Let's go back to LSD for shits and giggles
LSD will will make you giggle and shit, alright. Just ask the Beatles. :)
As we all must know the way to make a potentially boring subject interesting is to randomly associate it with sex/attractive females 🙄
Maybe Paul Plumb had a point. Considering he was selling shirts in his shop for 27/- (£1.35 post decimalisation), now you’ll be lucky to get a decent shirt for £27.00. Inflation sky rocketed after decimalisation and is still doing so. We’ve been conned folks. Up the Empire!
1 pound in 1971 would be 12 in 2023. That would make 1,35 about 16,20. YOu can definitely still find an okay shirt for 16 pounds.
If I had been on the helm, I would have introduced 100, 500, 1.000 etc. pence notes, dropped the shilling for a 20p coin, made the pound notes "special order", and be done with it. ;)
Be nice to swap it back to LSD..."what a "trip"
For more than a thousand years, from the year 775 AD until 14-February 1971, England used the Carolingian monetary system. During those years, a Pound was worth 240 pence. This currency system continued until the formation of Great Britain (1700s) and United Kingdom (1800s).
1 Pound = 20 shillings
1 Shilling = 12 pence
A penny is further divided into half penny and one-fourth penny called farthing.
If the price of an item cost less than a shilling (pence only), it is written as 11d, 10d, 9d, 5¼d, etc. The letter "d" means "denarius". It is the Latin word for the standard silver coin introduced by the Romans.
If the price has both shillings and pence, it is written with slash (/) as separator. Example: 15 shillings and 6 pence is written as 15/6. If the price is exactly 15 shillings without pence, it is written as 15/-
If the price has pounds, shillings and pence, the separator can either be slash (/) or dash (-). Example: 2 pounds, 15 shillings and 6 pence is written as £2/15/6 or £2-15-6.
When adding prices, you should have memorised the 12 Times Table to be able to add prices.
For example, you bought 5 items in a supermarket:
Item#1 is 15/7
Item#2 is 16/8
Item#3 is 17/9
Item#4 is 18/10
Item#5 is 19/11
Total in shillings and pence: 88/9
Total in £sd: £4/8/9
By adding all the shillings and all the pence, you will get a total of 85 shillings and 45 pence.
To get the exact amount in shillings and pence, you need to think how many shillings are there in 45 pence. The answer is 3 shillings with a remainder of 9 pence.
Add 3 shillings to 85 shillings; you'll get a total of 88 shillings.
Therefore, the total amount you bought in the supermarket was 88 shillings and 9 pence (88/9) or 4 Pounds 8 shillings 9 pence (£4/8/9).
This is the reason why back in the days, British children were taught to memorise the 12 Times Table.
To make it simple, the old money of Britain was similar to the height of a person expressed in feet and inches. Examples: 5'7, 5'9, 5'11, 6'2. The amount in shillings is similar to the number of feet while the amount in pence is similar to the number of inches.
A lot of people born after 1971 (or not yet an adult in 1971) thought that the Pounds, Shillings and Pence was a very difficult system when it was still in use in Britain. Videos in youtube always give the impression that it was a very complicated system. Someone even made a comment that it would be very difficult to give change if you are selling an item worth £1/5/9 (1 Pound 5 shillings and 9 pence) and the customer gave you a £5 note. hahahahaha... His comment shows that he did not live during the pre-decimal era. In schools, children were taught the arithmetic of the Pounds, Shillings and Pence system but in reality people in Britain don't count money in Pounds in their everyday lives; they only count in shillings and pence. It should be noted that after World War-2, there were only 3 banknotes in Britain: 10-shilling note, £1 note (20 shillings) and £5 note (100 shillings). The £10 note (200 shillings) was only re-introduced in 1964 while the £20 note (400 shillings) was re-introduced in 1970. During the pre-decimal era, prices in street markets, stores, supermarkets, department stores and even petrol stations were expressed in shillings and pence only. At Harrods or Marks & Spencer, you would see the prices of items were 67/8, 45/6, 54/10, 49/11, etc. The "Pounds, Shillings and Pence" will only show on the cash register during check out. In street markets, there were no cash registers, sellers just count and compute for change in their heads or using a pen and paper. During that time, shilling was the de facto main unit of currency while the Pound was the de facto superunit. The Pound as the de jure main unit of currency was only expressed in prices of expensive products such as TVs, refrigerators, cars, etc., in real estate properties and in big business transactions especially in international trade and commerce. If an item only costs 1 Pound 5 shillings and 9 pence, it would be written as 25/9 instead of £1/5/9. If the customer gave a £5 note which is equivalent to 100 shillings, the customer's change is obviously 74/3. The seller would then give the customer three £1 notes (60 shillings), one 10-shilling note, two florin coins (4 shillings) and a 3-pence coin. For the sake of that guy's curiosity on how to compute for the change if the price of an item is expressed in Pounds Shillings and Pence, here's how it works:
When it comes to giving or receiving a change, you only need to remember 20 and 12. There are 20 shillings in a Pound and there are 12 pence in a shilling.
If the price of an item costs 1 Pound and 5 shillings (£1/5/-) and the money given by the customer was £5, round-up £1 (1 becomes 2) and then subtract it from £5 (5-2=3). Subtract 5/- from 20/- (20-5=15). Therefore, the customer's change is 3 Pounds and 15 shillings (£3/15/-)
If the price of an item costs 1 Pound 5 shillings and 9 pence (£1/5/9) and the money given by the customer was £5, round-up both £1 (1 becomes 2) and 5/- (5 becomes 6). Subtract £2 from £5 (5-2=3) and subtract 6/- from 20/- (20-6=14). Subtract 9 pence from 12 pence (12-9=3). Therefore, the customer's change is 3 Pounds 14 shillings and 3 pence (£3/14/3)
From a currency similar to feet and inches (like a person's height) to a currency based on 10s and 100s. This is the reason why a lot of people in Britain find it hard to adjust when decimalisation was implemented in 1971 plus the fact that the decimalisation format used by the British government was flawed. From a very flexible denomination of 240 pence to a Pound, the British government chose a cramped 100 "new pence" to a Pound. On 15-February 1971, the shilling was devalued to 5 "new pence" (no longer 12) so that one Pound would be equivalent to 100 "new pence". Among former British colonies that transitioned to decimal currency, Ghana is the best. Ghana's decimal currency called Cedi (₵) is equivalent to 8 shillings and 4 pence (8/4) or 100 pence. Therefore, all the old pence are equally convertible to the new decimal currency. No need to worry about adjustment of prices; only the name of the currency and its denomination will change. 8/4 is ₵1.00 which means one Ghanaian Pound is equal to two Cedis and 40 pesewa (£1=₵2.40). In 1970, Bermuda Islands followed Ghana's decimalisation format. One Bermudian Pound is equal to two Bermudian Dollars and 40 cents (£1=$2.40). When South Africa decimalised the South African Pound, it converted 10 shillings (120 pence) to the new currency called Rand. 120 pence were converted to 100 cents. A little adjustment needs to be made when it comes to pricing and balancing bank accounts because 1.20 pence shall be equivalent to 1 cent. One South African Pound is equal to two South African Rands (£1=R2.00). South Africa's format of decimalisation from Pounds to the new decimalised currency was followed by Australia, New Zealand and Nigeria. Britain did the worst decimalisation format. Britain converted 20 shillings (240 pence) to 100 pence. Inflation was the result. The government of Prime Minister Harold Wilson was too afraid to lose the Pound as Britain's currency that's why he followed the advice of the Bank of England to retain the Pound. BOE and Harold Wilson did not follow the format of Ghana's new decimalised currency based on 8/4 (100 pence) nor South Africa's version of decimalised currency based on 10/- (120 pence converted to 100 cents). Instead, Britain decimalised the Pound by shrinking its value from 240 pence to 100 pence only. Some people in Britain even thought that the value of their money/income has diminished because in every shilling they spend (5 new pence) they were ripped off by the government for 7 pence. Devaluing the shilling from 12 pence to 5 pence was not a joke especially during the time when prices were still cheap. The ill-conceived decimalisation of the Pound in 1971 was one of the "ingredients" of the economic disaster of Britain during the turbulent decade of the 1970s. It may not be the main reason but it contributed to the economic crisis during that time. Maybe it's true that 10 is simpler than 12 or the decimal currency system is simpler than imperial currency system but the transition of Britain to decimal currency system in 1971 was NOT simple.
Wow, that’s not a comment, it’s an entire Wikipedia article 😂😂😂
A fabulous explanation well done
Don’t talk bollocks the old system was shite
Man, all that is just nuts. You're making a pitch for something you're suggesting was 'simple' without stopping to ask yourself why every country in the world that once used it dumped it. Look how long it took you to explain all that. Here's the corresponding modern article:
_British currency consisted of a base unit called the pound, which was divided into subunits of 1/100th of its value called a penny (pl. pence). Prices were shown in pounds with the pence indicated after a decimal: £2.39; two pounds a thirty-nine pence. Prices below the value of a pound could be shown in pence only: 67p; sixty-seven pence. Pound values were denominated in paper notes of varying whole-number values. For convenience's sake, coins of certain pence values were also minted; e.g., 1p, 2p, 5p, 10p, 20p, 50p._
The end. I've got that down and I'm not even British.