‘D Day’: UK Marks 50 Years since Decimalisation

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Link: ‘D Day’: UK marks 50 years since decimalisation [The Guardian]

 

It’s 50 years since the UK’s currency went decimal, ditching tanners, shillings and florins and introducing new coins including the 1p piece.

 

The anniversary of Decimal Day on Monday 15 February 1971 marks when Britain finally moved to a system based on units of 10. Under the old system, which had been in place for hundreds of years, there were 12 pence in a shilling and 20 shillings, or 240 pence, in a pound.

 

Other countries had already moved to decimalisation, and Britain had been considering a change since the 1820s, with a Decimal Association lobbying for a new currency from 1841.

 

In 1847, the MP John Bowring argued in the House of Commons that the reasons for a decimal system were so obvious it should no longer be delayed. Hansard reports Bowring arguing: “Every man who looked at his 10 fingers saw an argument for its use, and an evidence of its practicability.”

 

But it was only in 1966 that the country agreed to switch. The decision was announced by the then chancellor, James Callaghan, who described it as “a momentous and an historic decision” that would “bring considerable benefit to the economy at large”.

 

He announced a five-year period for the changeover to be arranged, and said the Treasury would meet half of the cost, which was likely to be less than £120m. The Decimal Currency Act was passed in 1969.

 

The long buildup ensured a smooth transition. The chair of the Decimal Currency Board, Lord Fiske, had said he hoped it would be “the non-event of 1971” and he got his wish.

 

The first decimal coins were issued in 1968, to give shoppers a chance to get used to them before the old system was scrapped. It was a weird introduction – the new five pence pieces were the same size as a shilling and worth the same, yet there was the potential for confusion because they were not worth five old pence. BBC reports show some people preferred to stick to the old coins...

[southhamster]

Oh dear. I can remember this!

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Twitter thread by coin designer Christopher Ironside's daughter:

 

https://twitter.com/IronsideKate/status/1360959039379750913

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Twitter thread by coin designer Christopher Ironside's daughter:

 

 

Unrolled thread:

 

Link: https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1360959039379750913.html

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Decimal Day 50p featuring details from pre-decimal coins: