I remember as a young boy being accosted on the street by a TV news team. "What does the 15th of February mean to you?" they asked. Now, this was my chance of fame: my youthful image could have been immortalised, eternally available in such as the Getty video archive and used in countless documentaries. So what did the 15th of February mean to me? Of course I knew the answer, but In that split second of exposure I chose to go for the personal touch: "The 15th is my brother's birthday," I told them. From their faces I knew instantly that my response was not at all what they wanted: I had missed my 15 seconds of fame, and those few feet of film stock would be consigned to the bin, leaving me to sink into everlasting obscurity.
Coining a phrase
A few days afterwards and the big day arrived: it was indeed 15th February. The year was 1971. It was D-Day and decimalisation was here to stay (no rhyme intended). Some said it wouldn't last until Christmas and my future boss continued to price stock in both decimal and the old pounds, shillings and pence (or LSD as it was known) until well into the late-70s, just in case someone at the top had a change of mind.
For some time the Government had been preparing the population for this massive changeover, and well before D-Day the first ever UK decimal coin was introduced and could be used straight away: the 50p coin, which would replace the old brown-orange ten bob note. At least you could hear when you'd accidentally dropped the 50p coin, so although our pockets became heavier, at least our losses should become lighter. This was followed by the new 5p and 10p coins that were the same size and value as the existing one and two shilling pieces. The bronze coins could be used only from D-Day and most shops had been pre-stocked with these. For a time many retailers marked prices in both old and new money, some even delayed switching and I don't remember what finally made them bite the bullet. It can't have been easy for the banks with them having to handle what were essentially 2 currencies and, when I eventually went to work in one of them, horror stories about it were still going the rounds.
There was a plethora of public information films in cinemas and on TV to educate us into thinking in tens instead of twelves. Many older people were determined to cling on for dear life to the old system. As late as the mid-90s – a quarter of a century after the changeover – one customer (and he was young enough to know better) wasn't impressed when I offered him a 15% discount and he said, "That's not much – it's only three bob in t' pound."
I remember that some of the films (Granny Gets the Point – look it up on YouTube) featured a confused elderly woman who was determined to make a stand for traditional British institutions, and her schoolboy grandson who – surprise! surprise! – had decimalisation all sussed. I'm not certain anyone would get away with such patronising films these days.
All change
"What's that in old money?" was a familiar cry in shops from those determined to hang on to the bitter end, refusing to buy even food with the new money and vowing to write in protest to the Queen as they chomped upon their final biscuit bought with their last threepenny bit.
Pictured is an unusual game of SNAP! that was meant to help assimilate people into this new language. I paid 4 shillings and tuppence for this (worth 21 new pence) and it came in a sturdy plastic case. 50 years later and the game cards are in as new condition, right down to their cellophane wrapping, which I think shows that no-one I knew believed they would need special learning aids to survive, although some stalwarts were determined that decimalisation would mean the end for Britain.
