Old Money, Pre Decimal.

[j.c.d.]

The other day I was posting and touched on the subject of pre. decimal coinage and the fact that there were 240 copper penny's to £1. there fore carrying any amounts of this coin was a strain on ones pocket / purse. people always tried to get rid and just carry three penny bits or Tanners (sixpence). Folks used to have gas meters that took coins so my Ma always kept a few extra penny's on top of the meter in case we ran out and we were cut off of the gas plus the meter was always topped up and there would be money to come back after the reading When I off School and the meter man was due my Mother would always say Don't let him give you all penny's, tell him I said to give us sixpences"
The gas man was always the same one, a local fellow who had played for Hunslet, a big bugger who when I told him about the change to come back he would just laugh and cuff me at the back of my head. he would then leave 15 or 20 copper pennies stacked up and when my Ma got home I was in trouble again. In later years when I was in my twenty's I used to go in the same club for a drink and if I mentioned it I would get another head slap.
The reason I mention him is because his name was Arthur (Ginger) Thomas and I decided to Google and see if I could find out anything about the old lad. It seems he not only played for Hunslet but also Yorkshire and Great Britain . If there are any Rugby league fans out there it is well worth a look. Just as Important even if you are not a Rugby fan is the amount of Info. / pictures and old adverts.. Vey interesting in my opinion.

[sparky415]

I remember leccy meters......do they still have them today?

[Leodian]

Your interesting post j.c.d. has got me thinking. I remember 'apnies (how it sounded !), coppers, thruppeny bits, tanners and bobs but I don't use any expressions for the decimal coins. I wonder if there are any words for them but that I just don't know of them? And yes I still recall using farthings!

Ah yes, the needed and looked for rebate from the gas man when he read the meter (it was always a he that I recall).

[BLAKEY]

Just a slight detail Leodian if I may - the word "coppers" didn't refer to a particular coin like the other nicknames do, but to all farthings, ha'pennies and pennies which "looked like" copper. Digressing slightly to one of my very fondest memories in the 1950s on the buses in and around Otley. Now at Ledgard's Yeadon depot was a wonderful conductor called Walter Nunn - a good living and very popular man - whose humourous anecdotes were priceless. One morning around 7.20 am he swept into the transport cafe at the top of Otley bus station and had us all in stitches with this gem :-

Eeeee - a woman's just gorron i' Towngate - she says "A tuppenny please and I'm sorry I've nowt less than 'alf a crown" - A Sez "Tha will 'av in a minute - Two 'un fower i' copper !!" He would always then shriek with laughter (not conceitedly at all, but with genuine pleasure at cheering everyone up.)

For the benefit of the younger end (post 1971) I'll just explain that there were thirty old pennies in half a crown, and the lady's change (2/4d) from the silver coin for a tuppeny ticket would be twenty eight old pence in ha'pennies and pennies. Dear Walter was an absolute legend in Aireborough and on the routes from Horsforth to Otley and is remembered with great respect and fondness to this day - he only passed away fairly recently at a ripe old age.

[j.c.d.]

Only recal.
1d.......Clod
3d. Thrupney Johnny..
6d. Tanner or Flag (and Banner)
1/- Dinah....or a ..Chip.
2/- Tosheroon........ Two bob
2/6 Half a dollar
10/- half a nicker
£1 Nicker......Oncer
£5 Flim.......A Jacks (alive)
£100 ... A Long 'un


some racing slang used for numbers / money even today
2..bottle
3. carpet
4 rouf
5. flim
£10 Cocle
£20 score
£25 a pony
£500 A monkey.
They also refer to money as rhino

must be lots more but just can't recall at the moment.

[j.c.d.]

Just a slight detail Leodian if I may - the word "coppers" didn't refer to a particular coin like the other nicknames do, but to all farthings, ha'pennies and pennies which "looked like" copper. Digressing slightly to one of my very fondest memories in the 1950s on the buses in and around Otley. Now at Ledgard's Yeadon depot was a wonderful conductor called Walter Nunn - a good living and very popular man - whose humourous anecdotes were priceless. One morning around 7.20 am he swept into the transport cafe at the top of Otley bus station and had us all in stitches with this gem :-

Eeeee - a woman's just gorron i' Towngate - she says "A tuppenny please and I'm sorry I've nowt less than 'alf a crown" - A Sez "Tha will 'av in a minute - Two 'un fower i' copper !!" He would always then shriek with laughter (not conceitedly at all, but with genuine pleasure at cheering everyone up.)

For the benefit of the younger end (post 1971) I'll just explain that there were thirty old pennies in half a crown, and the lady's change (2/4d) from the silver coin for a tuppeny ticket would be twenty eight old pence in ha'pennies and pennies. Dear Walter was an absolute legend in Aireborough and on the routes from Horsforth to Otley and is remembered with great respect and fondness to this day - he only passed away fairly recently at a ripe old age.

Good story that. Lots of characters in those days. reminds me of the times they had waiters to bring your drink to your table in pubs. one such man was Walter, a dust bin man by day and a waiter most evenings in pubs around Beeston. he was blessed with a cauliflower ear which he used to keep tanners (6d.) in and when he gave you your change his lughole was like a mini till.

[tyke bhoy]

Your interesting post j.c.d. has got me thinking. I remember 'apnies (how it sounded !), coppers, thruppeny bits, tanners and bobs but I don't use any expressions for the decimal coins. I wonder if there are any words for them but that I just don't know of them? And yes I still recall using farthings!

Other than copper and silver collectively I don't know of any nicknames for the current coinage and even the legacy names carried over to decimal seem to have pretty much dissappered.

1/2p = apnie (long gone from the decimal world)
2 1/2p= tuppence apnie(the old sixpence carried forward)
5p = shilling (again the old coin carried forward but not renamed)
10p = 2bob (2 shilling coin again brought forward )
50p = 10 bob (10 shillings but this time a new coin for decimilisation)

The 5 and 10p have both reduced in size and from what I recall long after the last of the predecimal versions were removed from circulation and replaced by decimal versions of the same size. And the 50p has also shrunk in "diameter" and width from the original decimal version.

The 1p and 2p are unchanged in size and colour from the 1971 launch and are now the only coppers.

And since decimalisation we have had introduced 20p, £1coin (replacing the note that was phased out soon after the coins launch) and £2 coin. I suspect we will see the £5coin (other than commemorative versions) replace the note in the not too distant future although there was a push by banks to increase their circulation (including atm dispensing) by banks a couple of years back.

The word new has disappearred too although it is possible there are still some 1 and 2p

One expression I still hear, although its very rarely with coppers these days is "coppering up" when you are heavy with "shrapnel" or just short of money putting all your change together to make the price rather than handing over a higher denomination for change. Apparently it happened recently on a bus, at a stop before I boarded, where the day fare of almost £5 was paid in copper and low denomination silver. I'm told the driver was far from impressed

[j.c.d.]

As me and our Lass seem to accumulate quite a bit of "Shrapnel" over a short period of time after shopping and the 1p. and 2p.s are so useless, periodically we go in to Sainsbury's and after getting a few items the wife does a disappearing act (embarrassed) whilst I go to the self checkout; though I get funny looks from the cashier in charge of the machines I plod on getting rid of all the Crapalatum. I stick the goods in the car and rejoin her in the store.

[j.c.d.]

What has disappeared in the mists of time is the New Penny (Not the Kathy Simms puffs parlour of the late 1960s) in the Calls) but the one we got as kids in our Christmas stocking along with an Orange a some other bits and bats. The penny was held in high respect by us kids, again on Whit. Sunday when, dressed in new clothes we were given a penny usually by a relative.

[chameleon]

The other day I was posting and touched on the subject of pre. decimal coinage and the fact that there were 240 copper penny's to £1. there fore carrying any amounts of this coin was a strain on ones pocket / purse. people always tried to get rid and just carry three penny bits or Tanners (sixpence). Folks used to have gas meters that took coins so my Ma always kept a few extra penny's on top of the meter in case we ran out and we were cut off of the gas plus the meter was always topped up and there would be money to come back after the reading When I off School and the meter man was due my Mother would always say Don't let him give you all penny's, tell him I said to give us sixpences"
The gas man was always the same one, a local fellow who had played for Hunslet, a big bugger who when I told him about the change to come back he would just laugh and cuff me at the back of my head. he would then leave 15 or 20 copper pennies stacked up and when my Ma got home I was in trouble again. In later years when I was in my twenty's I used to go in the same club for a drink and if I mentioned it I would get another head slap.
The reason I mention him is because his name was Arthur (Ginger) Thomas and I decided to Google and see if I could find out anything about the old lad. It seems he not only played for Hunslet but also Yorkshire and Great Britain . If there are any Rugby league fans out there it is well worth a look. Just as Important even if you are not a Rugby fan is the amount of Info. / pictures and old adverts.. Vey interesting in my opinion.

Do you remember how he expertly placed the coins on their side and rolled them in a piece of paper (days before plastic coin bags, and made a tidy secure little package to put in his bag? Used to try to do this with variable degrees of success - they must have found a fortune in remote corners and crevices when they pulled Mum's old house down!