Real money
Grandad July 4th, 2011
Back when I was a lad, currency was simple.
Coinage consisted of the farthing, ha’penny, penny, thruppeny bit, sixpence [or a tanner], shilling, florin and half crown. There were notes for ten shillings, a pound, a fiver and the rest upwards were rarely seen unless you worked in a bank.
The relationship between the pennies, the shillings and the pound was very simple too. There were twelve pennies to the shilling and there were twenty shillings to the pound. It couldn’t be easier. Any child could, and did cope with it on a daily basis.
In fact it was all so simple we tried to make it a little more difficult by using English currency at the same time. They used the same denominations but slightly different shaped coinage. One thing that did piss me off was that the Irish were literate enough to use both coinage systems, but the British weren’t and would rudely refuse the Irish versions. That was enough to convince a young lad that the Irish were far more intelligent than the British, but that’s another story. Heh!
Then back in the early seventies, they fucked the whole thing up by introducing decimalisation. It was sad seeing a tradition being killed off in the name of dumbing down but there it was. We had to cope with a new range of coinage.
That changeover wasn’t too bad and within weeks we were all used to the new coins and the over-simplified conversion of a hundred pennies to the pound. Slapping down the correct price of a pint was no problem whatsoever.
Ten years ago we changed to the Euro.
I don’t know what it is about the Euro but I fucking hate it. After ten years I still can’t get the hang of those fucking coins. They are small, fiddly and a pain in the fucking hole. Every time I have to pay for something I find myself twiddling coins to see what number is stamped on the back. The coins are too small and there isn’t enough difference in size. Fucking Mickey Mouse money I call it.
The sooner that fucking Euro implodes the better.
Then we can get back to the good old pounds, shillings and pence.
Real money.
- Rants , Times past
- Comments(17)
Subscribe to audio
We have the same money we have always had. The nice thing about our money is that the coins are all different sizes. Pennies are copper and nickles (5 cents) are big. Dimes (10 cents) are small and quarters (25 cents) are bigger than nickles. We have dollar coins but everybody hates them so not too many people use them.
As a kid getting a quarter was a big deal as a candy bar was a nickle.
Every time I have to pay for something I find myself twiddling coins to see what number is stamped on the back. The coins are too small and there isn’t enough difference in size. Fucking Mickey Mouse money I call it.
The sooner that fucking Euro implodes the better.
Hear, hear !
I get home to Ireland about four, maybe five times a year and I don’t understand the Euro coins at all at all.
I can’t actually figure out how much things cost.
See, for me, I have to shamefully admit that I am still paid in Sterling because that is where I am registered (another story !!).
But I work in Tunisia where all my day-to-day transactions are in Tunisian Dinars.
So I can’t relate to Euros at all as it was introduced while I was still away.
Bring back something we can all understand.
The biggest problem with Euro coinage is how poor the embossing depth is. Once the surface gets tarnished it becomes nearly impossible to read the number on them, in anything other than Sahara desert sunlight.
The two main problems with the coinage is that they are so small and so similar in size. It is very difficult differentiating them. How the blind manage, I don’t know. I have grumbled to many shopkeepers and I have yet to meet one who disagrees with me.
One thing that did piss me off was that the Irish were literate enough to use both coinage systems, but the British weren’t and would rudely refuse the Irish versions.
Err, Wasn’t that because you wanted independence and as part of that ditched the pound stirling. The Punt never quite reached parity with the Pound after that did it ?
Indeed you are right, Sean. We did separate as fundamentally we were two different economies and had to have separate currencies. So why the fuck couldn’t Brussels learn a lesson from that?.
Yep, bring back the old LSD. Our bills are all the same size and all green. I keep looking for a blind person to ask how they tell them apart. ‘Course can’t find a blind person as here in the States we keep our disabled folks well hidden. I have always found it to be a sad condemnation of our society. Off to the store now to buy fireworks. Yippeeee!!!!
ahh simple days with 1 dollar and 2 dollar bills were the norm, now given way to “loonies” and “twonies” ffs, its down right embarrassing to worsen matters gubmint is toying with the idea of a 5 dollar coin…i can’t lift my purse now i only earn small money crikey, i long for money in bills, so light so fluffy so easy to fold in a purse. and what will the origniality name it this time, fiver says its a “foonie”
Ah the big white fiver – you could surrender with it, use it for a blanket, wrap a hot brick in it to keep the wanksack warm, I never, ever met a person that actually owned one.
TT – I see you are celebrating Independence from America today?
Cat - fiver says its a “foonie” A Gumboil says it isn’t.
Patrick – The white one was Sterling, was it not? We had the orange ten-bob and the green pound. Can’t remember what colour the fiver was – never wealthy enough to find out!
Yes – the white fiver was sterling, it was ENORMOUS!
My Dad used to do private accounting as a sideline and whenever he was paid he used to give my Mum a white fiver, she used to buy herself a whole new outfit with it, underwear, clothes, coat and shoes!!
“Error: Your comment is too short. Please try to say something useful.”
Fuck off you twat. How’s that. Are we all agreed?
wasn’t the fiver blue – ish?
You’re right about the euro coins – load of tiddlers worth less than their metal value, probably – usually end up in the charity bin in the port or tunnel customs.
When we decimalsed in the early ’70′s we were ripped off by every shop and business. Your two pennies were worth a new shiney new pence, bollox. I felt pissed off every time I went to the shop for my bag of crisps and penny bars.
That was’nt bad enough, then we had to do the Euro thing and the greedy bastards hit us again.
When you had a Pound (240 pennys, or 12 shillings) you felt rich. I used to get the odd Half Crown from a generous Uncle, loadsa money. Happy days.
The down side was, saving up those big copper pennies was a real pain in the hole.
Two words for ya———– Laser Card!!