Naturally, this system aided cashiers throughout the country when making
change, especially as cashiers did not have the machines that told them how
much change they should give.
but id did force them to have better
mathematical skills.
and on a similar note, nothing boils me more than
listening to the stock market when they tell us in went down one and three
quarter percent!!!!
and for the times when we had really hard math to perform
we could always turn to the "ready reckoner"
Frank
________________________________
From: "KingsCreekTrees@aol.com"
<KingsCreekTrees@aol.com>
To: wsb1960tr3a@att.net; triumphs@autox.team.net
Sent: Sat, October 24, 2009 6:11:26 PM
Subject: Re: [TR] Brit Money Definition
Right. Here we go with the big monetary explanation:
Britain went to
decimalised currency in 1970. Thereafter, there was only
pounds and pence
(or pennies). 100 pence to a pound.
Prior to this, Britain's currency was a
far easier system that everyone
could understand, especially overseas
tourists:
Four farthings to a penny.
Two halfpennies (but pronounced "Hay
penny") to a penny.
12 pennies to a shilling ("bob" is slang for shilling)
Two
sixpences (a coin known as a "Tanner") to a shilling
five shillings to a
Crown.
20 shillings to a pound ("quid" is slang for a pound)
21 shillings to a
guinea.
Items were priced thus: 5/- That means five shillings (commonly
referred
to as 'five bob')
5/ 6 1/2d That
means five shillings,
sixpence hay-penny.
Naturally, this system aided
cashiers throughout the country when making
change, especially as cashiers
did not have the machines that told them how
much change they should give.
So, if for example you bought something for
twelve shillings and five pence
hay penny and you gave the cashier 15 bob,
how much change would you expect?
The answer, of course, is two shillings, sixpence hay penny. But you knew
that, didn't you? See what a marvellously simple system this is? In fact, so
simple is it that I once followed by grandfather into a store in 1971,
where
he purchased an item for 62 pence. His immediate reaction was "What's
that
in Old Money?" Can anyone guess???? Fingers on buzzers: It's 11
shillings
exactly.
Now that you know everything about Britain's earlier monetary
system, you
can all play fun games with working out change and asking each
other how
much certain things cost. Off you go then.
Tim
Tim Dyer,
Proprietor
Kings Creek Trees and Ornamentals
427 Kings Creek Road, RR3
Ashton, Ontario, K0A 1B0, Canada
Phone/fax: 613 253 4126 Website:
_www.kingscreektrees.com_
(http://www.kingscreektrees.com/)
Proud member
of Landscape Ontario (the Ontario association of Horticulture
Industry
professionals), the Canadian Nursery Landscape Association and
Christmas
Tree Farmers of Ontario
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