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Decimalisation (1970)

British Pathé 390 views

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I was 10 years old when decimalisation came in, it was easier for children to adaptbrI still remember the old money and the sums we did in pounds shillings and pencebrWe also started learning grams centimetres and so on which I didn't like because I much preferred the imperial measuresbrAll these years later I can say the older Generation were right we've been ripped off!
Comment from : @teresaharrison5773

Today you cannot buy two pints of milk with something that once had the value of a literal pound of fine Sterling silver 😅
Comment from : @aaronaaaronson9621

My Father managed a sheep station in NSW Australia in 1966 when we went to decimal currency When it came to doing the book keeping and accounts he found the new system so easy that he thought he must be doing something wrong In the 1890's Australia recommended at a British Empire conference in London that the Empire go to decimal currency Sadly it fell on deaf ears A couple years later we recommended switching to the metric system of weights and measures and once again we were ignored
Comment from : @Westyrulz

The system is abused for unfair price risings why do people always want to cheat and screw everyone over it?!
Comment from : @joehoe222

A great opportunity to inflate the currency some at the expense of the average joe
Comment from : @mrblack61

I miss my threepenny bits 😊
Comment from : @fuckbankers

Afterwards, we had both prices displayed on the sticky price labels for a short while
Comment from : @peterstudley1804

I was 12 when it changed over, I remember it wellbrThere was definitely a sneaky price rise hidden in the changeover - rounded UP
Comment from : @johnnyhock

4:13 to think they are now all in their 50-60s
Comment from : @jamiehughes5573

Devalued the imperial money from 244 to 100 , daylight robbery suddenly you wage is increased but its buying power goes down as old price are rounded up 🤔🙊🙉🙈
Comment from : @johnhehir508

Decimal money to devalue our money by stealth ,
Comment from : @johnhehir508

Is he British or American
Comment from : @JonathanSeagullDownes

Although I was born in 1970, I recall when Ireland changed from the Irish Pound (Punt) to the Euro and it was horrific - we changed our beautiful Irish notes and coins to the drab and ugly Euro ones and I still hate them to this day, especially when I come home from the UK to Ireland on holidays, so I’m glad that the UK held onto Sterling - but these days, everything is card only, so we don’t see cash very often now
Comment from : @michaeljohndennis2231

The conversion to the decimal was arguably for the long term goodbrThe conversion to the dastardly boring metric system embraced by the Euroweenies? Not so much
Comment from : @grazzer1673

As a friend of mine once said “Non-decimal coins are a supposed to be a pain, they prevent stupid people from having money”
Comment from : @senwod70

Those technicians who were converting those tills for the new British currency certainly weren't hurting for work 😅
Comment from : @luisreyes1963

And still the USA is Imperial What an embarrassment
Comment from : @rogerfroud300

The new classic era in the early of 1970 out off gold currency rulebrAs aresultof economic crises
Comment from : @DAtheerNatiq-rm9hr

Akin to Y2K A non-event
Comment from : @gwenwade6059

Are Guineas still issued by the government?
Comment from : @leroyproud294

Now, if only the US would switch to metric!
Comment from : @jbw53191

I was a young Canadian Navy sailor whose ship was visiting Portsmouth at the time We got a mix of both coins and were totally confused and also felt we were getting ripped off I found some very old pennies circa 1900 in my change and was amazed
Comment from : @jaideedave

The time £1 became 90pence in purchasing power!
Comment from : @JohnSmith-ei2pz

We should have decimalised much earlier It would have allowed the pound to last much longer globally rather than Commonwealth countries like Canada and Australia changing to 'dollars' (which was wholly unnecessary)
Comment from : @tk-6967

My mom saved some schoolwork from pre decimal and it is interesting to see how we did it I just remember I used to get sixpence as pocket money, I bought a Crunchie bar with 3d and saved the rest 🙃
Comment from : @paulnicholson1906

My mom as working in a cafe on D day and just as they were getting ready to close up a pensioner came i Mom asked how she'd got on and the old lady replied "ooh its been horrible love Can't wait till tomorrow when it all goes back to normal again"brShe was so lost when my mom explained it all to her
Comment from : @stalfithrildi5366

It's never going to happen
Comment from : @richardmoloney689

I remember this for us kids it was easy my nan hated it and she still kept usi g £SD 3 columns when she added up even thought I was a kid I can still remember old money a florin, 10 bob note (pink) half a crown, , tuppence, tuppence ha'penny, just to think those kids in the class will be now in their 60s
Comment from : @michelles2299

It's so wonderful to see this film I was 14 at the time of D-Day and found it really confusing and with sadness The sadness was at the amusements on holiday that year when I only got 10 pennies instead of 12 for a shilling I must say I liked the old pence better
Comment from : @dianeheath5719

Well, 6d didn't go to 2p, did it? No, 6d went to 3p, 20 inflation in a flash!
Comment from : @dougaltolan3017

8 1/2p for a tin of fish!!!
Comment from : @dougaltolan3017

We were coned
Comment from : @liammccormack5028

I remember it very well, I now missed the the Thruppence and Ten Shilling Note, as they were my favourites, I had a booklet showing the difference in value between the old and new
Comment from : @jacksugden8190

I remember this as I was an apprentice at the time and used to go over to the local Cafe to have my lunch I gave the guy a pound note and got all this new and weird money back It was certainly a good talking point as I showed everybody in the factory when I returned I always remember a television interview at the time, as the members of the public were asked about it by a television crew and some guy said that it was too confusing for him and that they should have waited until all the old people had died before introducing it I still smile at that today
Comment from : @alanm6454

First bloke looks like harry Enfield
Comment from : @daveericson8447

This is interesting, but I haven't carried any cash in 20 years
Comment from : @masudashizue777

A terrible day ! The beginning of the end of all that which made Britain unique and therefore “ Great” “
Comment from : @alexandradane3672

Imagine switching back
Comment from : @Mr1i

Sad!
Comment from : @lukassvitek1432

Some people still use the old terminology as slang! If something looks expensive someone might say ' I bet that were a few bob'
Comment from : @shdhbr

Those kids are in their sixties now
Comment from : @SewardWriter

This is interesting, as it shows that humans have always thought that big changes implemented are always part of some conspiracy to such the public dry Change is scary I suppose, even when it's benevolent and made to improve our lives, save the world, etc
Comment from : @YesOkayButWhy

Is that Ireland's Mike Murphy narrating, later of RTÉ?
Comment from : @YesOkayButWhy

We were Robbed
Comment from : @michaelspriggs3652

Much ado about nothing
Comment from : @williamjones7163

I suppose the change was used for price increases as it was done when local currencies changed to €uro
Comment from : @hermask815

When Australia went decimal in February 1966, the government scrapped pounds etc completely and set 2 dollars equal to 1 pound in value This simplified things and allowed the old coins to remain in circulation until worn out, eg a sixpenny coin had 5 cents in value A shilling coin became 10 cents in value No coin operated machines needed any alteration In fact the old coinage is still legal tender brI recall my British aunties and cousins all hated the so called new pencebrForm memory, the Australian Government based it on how South Africa did their change over some years before South Africa had to make it as simple as possible as they had a large fraction of total illiterates in their population It looks like the British ignored the experience of other countries and made it unnecessarily complex, requiring new coinage and much work changing machinesbrDoctors and other professionals pre-decimal used to charge in guineas for some reason If I call right, one guinea was one pound 10 shillings or some such Talk about unnecessary accounting complication
Comment from : @keithammleter3824

The random edits mid-sentence are frustrating
Comment from : @2255223388

prices went through the roof you got lied too absolute scam goodbuy life as you knew it
Comment from : @420pilz

The old 10p and 50p coins were very clunky and clumsy I remember 1997 when the big 50p coins went out The old 5p though was good, the one introduced in 1991 was too small They should get rid of the 2p coin and introduce a copper larger 5p coin
Comment from : @Nick_80599

If we were to go back to that system I would have huge problems getting used to it like the old people back in 1971 getting used to decimal coins
Comment from : @Nick_80599

I vaguely remember the change to decimal I was 4 years old at the time Vaguely remember people talking about "new pence"
Comment from : @johnnyb8825

Big con, caused inflation
Comment from : @alfredroyal3473

The pre-decimal money is easier to use especially when it comes to giving or receiving a change without the use of a calculator You only need to remember 20 and 12 There are 20 shillings in a pound and there are 12 pence in a shilling brIf the total amount bought costs £23 and the money given by the customer is £50, the change is £27 brIf the total amount bought costs £23/8/- and the money given by the customer is £50, the change is £26/12/- since there are 20 shillings in a pound brIf the total amount bought costs £23/8/5 and the money given by the customer is £50, the change is £26/11/7 since there are 12 pence in a shilling
Comment from : @friendly1999ph

Well June 6, 1944 is "D-Day" for the "colonies"! :D
Comment from : @JohnSmith-zw8vp

Now I understand Harry Potter money
Comment from : @AngryMrFixit

Can't help but laugh when the Sainsbury store trainer refers to the cashier as "Miss" @ 242
Comment from : @Bally1001

This talks about the sixpence disappearing, but I think they changed their mind and kept it in circulation until 1980, didn't they?
Comment from : @M0jibake

Strange that the UK was one of the last countries to change Which country was the last? Does anyone know 🤔?
Comment from : @annoldham3018

I am a 58 year old adult and remember the change as a 7 year old child which I did not like and I still have not got over as I hanker for the pre decimal days
Comment from : @Katyestella63

I can feel their pain as an American people say oh it’s half a meter And it should be no duh cause it’s on the decimal system but I can’t place that in my mind near as well as half a yard
Comment from : @nickinportland

India has decimalized the currency and applied metric units for measurement in 1957 Before that English system and fractions was used in India It is very confusingbrI wonder how people those days understood things🤔
Comment from : @khandavillianirudh8741

I love how the primary school teacher is wearing a mini skirt You wouldn’t be allowed to get away with that even now
Comment from : @Titanicdork133

I wish Britain would bring £sd back Us software devs would have a field day
Comment from : @DuncanMcA

Remember, those old people will be us when we inevitably switch to km/h from mph
Comment from : @dog-ez2nu

I wonder if decimalisation necessary while penny could disappear due to inflationbrGood vintage video
Comment from : @梅家豪-v7q

You still hear some sayings or names of things that use pre decimal coins for context ie dodgy as a nine bob note, lend me a few bob, 2000 guineas race, there are others but I can't think of them atm
Comment from : @WizzardJC

I believe it was mistake British coinage was so unique and pretty, be it farthing, half penny, penny, shilling, florin or half crown Not forgetting, of course, double florins, sovereigns, Maundy coinage etc
Comment from : @FalconRS

I wonder if some British politicians opposed the decimalisation
Comment from : @dominikpierzgalski2025

It's a pity the film and the audio track are so choppy
Comment from : @stefannikola

Happy D day!
Comment from : @gkelectrical1

Miss is a bit hot
Comment from : @Gibbo1

"I got confused with the halfpenny I had to think twice" brLol 😆
Comment from : @kasimkn

One of the last countries to make the change but one of the first to start thinking about it All you need to know about Britain in one sentence
Comment from : @hannahmillington5781

It was a beautiful old movie until they showed the school
Comment from : @the_useless_photographer

All of a sudden everything cost 199, 299, 1099 Nothing ever cost 147, 239, or 1062 Prices did go up with the decimal switch I saw it with my own eyes
Comment from : @thomasjones9394

£87,000,000 is £1,171,661,03316 in today’s money for anyone (me) wondering
Comment from : @Jake-xe2eq

Pity they've never fully gone metric as well
Comment from : @stuboyd1194

I was 13 and remember my dad getting into a big row with a Woolworth’s cashier because the cost of his “pick and mix” sweets was rounded up to the nearest new penny So embarrassing at that age!
Comment from : @kipling1957

Not thinking but brainwashing!brBREXIT! 🇬🇧✌
Comment from : @citizen1163

Probably with the Brexit the Brits will return to this system 🤣🤣
Comment from : @silverbolbo

£187 ? Must have bought a box of matches!
Comment from : @garydavid1788

In the 70's Carter tried to get us to change to the metric system and I remember taking classes in it in grammar school but it never stuck, although we still have many metric measured products like a 2 liter bottle of soda, and we say 2K run etc, although I bet 85 of Americans could not tell you how far a kilometer is
Comment from : @edsmith3461-z7m

if you can divide currency it will just burn the opposite way and devalue your property instead
Comment from : @arcadealchemist

Sizes were rounded down and prices rounded up on change over, the good old shopkeepers
Comment from : @jimcameron4672

It was all down hill from here
Comment from : @The_Scarlet_Pimpernel

It seems so alien that we had such a weird system not that long ago, there are still people in the UK today who aren't that old who still convert from "new" to old when comparing prices
Comment from : @jonjohnson2844