In this Video I go Through Each Denomination in riding order and see how many of the other denomination coins it takes to equal that coin. Please subscribe if you enjoy.
Just before decimalisation a friend and I borrowed £5 each off our dads and went round the banks getting £5 worth of pennies, 1200 in all, and the checking the dates, taking them back and then onto another bank to repeat. When you drop the bag running to catch the train (as we’d used up all the banks on our local village) they go a long way!
While we did have decimal coinage from "day 1" as you say. British coinage was accepted coin for coin in the U.S. until the Civil War. It's easy to forget that until the end of World War I, the UK was the wealthiest and most powerful country in the world, and had been for more than 250 years. So as our money is used alongside their own in many countries today, so was British money used here alongside ours.
What is interesting, from an historical point of view, is that the pre decimal penny was the direct descendant of the Roman Denarius. That is to say, it had not been rebased at all since Julius Caesar first introduced a coin of this value into circulation in Britain. While there is no longer any coin which is directly descended from the old Roman Denarius in our current coinage, the five pence piece is still connected to that coin, since it is worth exactly 12 Roman Denarii.
When my grandad used to play card games he would sometimes win a pound in pennies because each “token” was a penny and he would have told me how he brought it home in his pockets or a sack
THIS and then hearing 1970's people telling the camera that they are afraid it will become more complicated in a year, is most likely the perfect après-read for Pratchett's "Making Money". - And I wondered where he got this uniquely strange idea from...
They were probably just really used to the pre-decimal system that they were worried that the decimal currency was gonna by complicated since they hadn't fully got used to it yet.
I am from Austria and we have had a decimal system since 1858 but befkre that it was crazy. As I'm really into that kind of stuff I realized how difficult the system was before 1858 as Austria was a part of the Holy Roman Empire and there were so many different currencies or some that had the same name but were worth a different ammount. Must have been terrible I can imagine...
The Pound Sterling used to be exponentially more valuable. In 1900 that Shilling coin would be equivalent to almost £8 in today’s money. A £1 coin was about £155. And that Farthing? About 15p. In 1900 you could live quite comfortably on £500 per year. {£77,000}
What a fun idea for a video guys! I wish I could still swap my predecimal into Sovereigns I'd be a rich man 😂 I really can imagine carrying that amount of pennies around as ive just had to do it moving house 😂
@@BitsAndBobsCoins Ah, thank you. I kinda guessed that might have been the case. You should do a video on Maundy Money as that is another intriguing form of British money. 🤑 (If you haven't done already.) You have a great catalogue of videos to explore and watch. 🤗
My tiny critique is that you didn’t use the colloquial pronunciation. People said "thruppence" and "HAYP-knee" in stead of "three pence" and "half penny" respectively. As well as their slang terms: the bob, the tanner, the asspoop etc
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Just before decimalisation a friend and I borrowed £5 each off our dads and went round the banks getting £5 worth of pennies, 1200 in all, and the checking the dates, taking them back and then onto another bank to repeat. When you drop the bag running to catch the train (as we’d used up all the banks on our local village) they go a long way!
That is a great story!
Sounds like a lot of heavy lifting, did you find anything worth while?
The florin bought more in 1971 than a pound coin does today.
Yes, sadly coins have lost lots of value
Wow. It's insane that a medieval style currency system survived into the modern era. Thanks for the dedication making this video!
You are right 💯
Thanks 😊💯
This currency took over the world along with their hogsheads and horsepower
People laugh at the US for not commonly using the Metric system but we had decimal coinage from day 1.
Very true
Thomas Jefferson want the US to use the metric system
The US converting to decimal currency was simply part of severing ties with the UK after the rebellion
While we did have decimal coinage from "day 1" as you say. British coinage was accepted coin for coin in the U.S. until the Civil War.
It's easy to forget that until the end of World War I, the UK was the wealthiest and most powerful country in the world, and had been for more than 250 years.
So as our money is used alongside their own in many countries today, so was British money used here alongside ours.
We still have inches and feet. That is no different.
What is interesting, from an historical point of view, is that the pre decimal penny was the direct descendant of the Roman Denarius. That is to say, it had not been rebased at all since Julius Caesar first introduced a coin of this value into circulation in Britain. While there is no longer any coin which is directly descended from the old Roman Denarius in our current coinage, the five pence piece is still connected to that coin, since it is worth exactly 12 Roman Denarii.
Very true
When my grandad used to play card games he would sometimes win a pound in pennies because each “token” was a penny and he would have told me how he brought it home in his pockets or a sack
Wow that's a lot of coins to carry home
THIS and then hearing 1970's people telling the camera that they are afraid it will become more complicated in a year, is most likely the perfect après-read for Pratchett's "Making Money". - And I wondered where he got this uniquely strange idea from...
Your right 👍
They were probably just really used to the pre-decimal system that they were worried that the decimal currency was gonna by complicated since they hadn't fully got used to it yet.
An excellent presentation! My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed this video.
Thanks that is great to hear 😊 👍
@@BitsAndBobsCoins it was easy to understand and nicely visualized. Much better than another video that started back in ancient England.
I am from Austria and we have had a decimal system since 1858 but befkre that it was crazy. As I'm really into that kind of stuff I realized how difficult the system was before 1858 as Austria was a part of the Holy Roman Empire and there were so many different currencies or some that had the same name but were worth a different ammount. Must have been terrible I can imagine...
Lots of confusion out there for sure
The Pound Sterling used to be exponentially more valuable.
In 1900 that Shilling coin would be equivalent to almost £8 in today’s money.
A £1 coin was about £155.
And that Farthing? About 15p.
In 1900 you could live quite comfortably on £500 per year. {£77,000}
Yes, real money that could buy stuff
Nice 👍
Thank you! Cheers!
@@BitsAndBobsCoins your welcome I have a coin collection as well 👍
What a fun idea for a video guys! I wish I could still swap my predecimal into Sovereigns I'd be a rich man 😂 I really can imagine carrying that amount of pennies around as ive just had to do it moving house 😂
Thanks so much TSC
Yes I would happily give 8 half crowns for a sovereign 😂😆
I am here as a strong advocate for 240 pence.
I would like that too
I love videos like this. Nice one Ethan. 👍
Thanks so much 🙏😊 its great to hear the support
Excellent representation!
Glad you liked it!
Thank you 🙏
This video needs 1/3 (yep, one third) farthing! A lovely little coin )))
That would be incredible to see
What a great video!
Thank you very much 🙏
That was fun 😃 Good job you didn't try this with the 1/3 farthing - you'd be on this till Christmas 😉
Your definitely right, if fractional farthings were included I would need a bigger table.
Funny video I must say.
Thanks 👍
Growing up early 1960s if you were lucky to fi nd two shilling ,it was a fortune you could live like a ki ng for a week,,
Yes, coins had much more of a value back then
If I was sulking my dad would say “lad you look like you lost a shilling and found a tanner”.
Great video, enjoyed that - dare I ask how many quater farthings in a 5 guinnea coin?
Thank you very much
I have just done the maths and it is 20,160 1/4 farthings to the 5 guinea
A crazy amount
Exellent. Very satisfying 🤝
I have also done some maths; 20,160 of the things would weigh 23.7kg
Aha, I have also found they would measure 272 meters if laid end to end in a ridiculous line
Was there a groat 4 pence coin or was it put out of use? 🤔 Very good video. 🤗
There was a groat but it stopped being used in the 1850s
@@BitsAndBobsCoins Ah, thank you. I kinda guessed that might have been the case. You should do a video on Maundy Money as that is another intriguing form of British money. 🤑 (If you haven't done already.) You have a great catalogue of videos to explore and watch. 🤗
Third Farthing and Quarter farthing visualisation please. 😂
The table would collapse 😂
@@BitsAndBobsCoins and we must include the rest of the sovereign denominations. Let's do this 💪😁
You needed to wear a belt with a pocket full of pennies or your pants would be around your ankles.
😂
My tiny critique is that you didn’t use the colloquial pronunciation.
People said "thruppence" and "HAYP-knee" in stead of "three pence" and "half penny" respectively.
As well as their slang terms: the bob, the tanner, the asspoop etc
Quarter and Third Farthings Exist
Yes, for use in the colonies though
One guinea?
252 pence
21 Shillings
Lol the video is 12min 20sec
Wow
That's a coincidence
5:27 in the shillings column you got it wrong. You have 4/6 but a half crown is only 2/6, you should have only added a sixpence not 2 extra shillings.
Yes apologies
@@BitsAndBobsCoins no need to apologise I was just pointing out a mistake 😁 £sd can be very confusing sometimes
Oh btw do you guys have an email address people can contact you on?
you don't have george III cartwheel 2 pence?