Visualizing Pre-Decimal Currency

[@davewhite7182]

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!

[@BitsAndBobsCoins]

That is a great story! Sounds like a lot of heavy lifting, did you find anything worth while?

[@kencook4607]

Wow. It's insane that a medieval style currency system survived into the modern era. Thanks for the dedication making this video!

[@BitsAndBobsCoins]

You are right 💯 Thanks 😊💯

[@wolfchrt]

This currency took over the world along with their hogsheads and horsepower

[@babyinuyasha]

@@kencook4607 even older, the £sd system came from the Romans.

[@shoredude2]

The florin bought more in 1971 than a pound coin does today.

[@BitsAndBobsCoins]

Yes, sadly coins have lost lots of value

[@RaimoHöft]

Seen in the good ol' "Carry On..." movies, set in the UK of that time and age. 10 pounds to enter the camping side don't seem that much... 😁

[@jamiehughes5573]

Today, a relatively "cheap" loaf of bread costs around 40p(for a non branded store own loaf) Compared to 1914(before WW1) a loaf of bread costs 4d

[@russguthrie232]

An excellent presentation! My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed this video.

[@BitsAndBobsCoins]

Thanks that is great to hear 😊 👍

[@russguthrie232]

@@BitsAndBobsCoins it was easy to understand and nicely visualized. Much better than another video that started back in ancient England.

[@ouchthathurts6350]

Boys, this video has made my day. I was born in 1972 so I consider myself lucky in this respect. The pre-decimal system is interesting, not to mention wilfully difficult. Kudos to you for owning so many coins.

[@BitsAndBobsCoins]

Thank you very much 🙏 Glad you enjoyed

[@kayokango]

I'm impressed at how big some those coins are. Here in the states the only coin we have that actually has some real size to it is the fifty cent piece, and it's rarely ever used in most places.

[@BitsAndBobsCoins]

Interesting Thank you 👍

[@koinking1665]

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

[@BitsAndBobsCoins]

Wow that's a lot of coins to carry home

[@JanEikeK]

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...

[@BitsAndBobsCoins]

Your right 👍

[@boxcat80085]

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.

[@seanronayne3654]

Nice collection. I love them all. Copper silver gold. All fantastic

[@BitsAndBobsCoins]

Thanks 👍

[@CoinPatrol]

I love videos like this. Nice one Ethan. 👍

[@BitsAndBobsCoins]

Thanks so much 🙏😊 its great to hear the support

[@Lamprolign]

I am here as a strong advocate for 240 pence.

[@BitsAndBobsCoins]

I would like that too

[@TheOne_6]

what about 250

[@jordanl5444]

​@@TheOne_6250 would be too much, 230 too little

[@jamiehughes5573]

​@@TheOne_6240 was the perfect number because it could be easily divided e.g you can divid it by 3 you can't with 250 since it be 83.3333333 instead of 80

[@sidkings]

What an epic video! I'm surprised your table didn't collapse. 😂 Thank you for all the effort you put into this 🙏

[@BitsAndBobsCoins]

Glad you liked it! Thank you 👍

[@Mark3ABE]

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.

[@BitsAndBobsCoins]

Very true

[@comesignotus9888]

This video needs 1/3 (yep, one third) farthing! A lovely little coin )))

[@BitsAndBobsCoins]

That would be incredible to see

[@baronvg]

I wasn’t around when these coins were in use (I’m not even British), but I have to imagine there were instances of people just taking forever in lines digging through their pockets/purses looking for the right coins.

[@BitsAndBobsCoins]

Very possible But people were born with the system and it was easy for most Just like learning a first language

[@wulfrunian]

You imagine wrong. The taking forever only started when they foisted the Mickey Mouse money on us.

[@thestackcollector]

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]

Thanks so much TSC Yes I would happily give 8 half crowns for a sovereign 😂😆

[@squeaksvids5886]

Hello! I see a 1/2 new pence masquerading as a farthing at 2:05!

[@BitsAndBobsCoins]

Good spot Thanks 🙏

[@plnsnarsku]

Is that rare because I have one

[@davidlatham8630]

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}

[@BitsAndBobsCoins]

Yes, real money that could buy stuff

[@MrMoritz74]

In the German Empire are 50 Pfennig = 6 Pence, 1 Mark = 1 Shilling, 20 Mark (Gold-Coin) = 1 Sovereign. Today: 8 € = 1 Mark. The german and british coins are nearly the same: 50 Pfennig had got the same sice and value than the 6 Pence coin. 1 Mark had the same size and value than 1 shilling, 2 Marks = 1 Florin, 3 Marks >= Half Crown, 5 Marks = 1 Crown, 10 Marks = Half Sovereign, 20 Marks = 1 Sovereign. Greetings from Germany!

[@Larkinchance]

you could set it to music, concluding with, "and a partridge in a pear tree.... I visited the UK in 1972 as a long haired youth only to find that they had decimalized, I was disappointed because I was already to use pound, shilling, pence...

[@BitsAndBobsCoins]

Good idea Just missed out 😂

[@lukebalsam]

Great video, really interesting

[@BitsAndBobsCoins]

Glad you think so!

[@MrMburrough]

Excellent representation!

[@BitsAndBobsCoins]

Glad you liked it! Thank you 🙏

[@AMD7027]

People laugh at the US for not commonly using the Metric system but we had decimal coinage from day 1.

[@BitsAndBobsCoins]

Very true

[@MasontheRedman]

Thomas Jefferson want the US to use the metric system

[@exxbootneck]

The US converting to decimal currency was simply part of severing ties with the UK after the rebellion

[@glooboo]

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.

[@paulnicholson1906]

We still have inches and feet. That is no different.

[@j.t.frompa5508]

I watched this 3 times up to the 3 minute mark and I can't figure out the part where you say and show the farthing is the same diameter and thickness of the penney but clearly when you set them out the pennies are much larger than the farthing!? Am I missing something or have I had a major brain fart? Is there more than one version of a penney?

[@BitsAndBobsCoins]

Apologies The farthing is the same size as the decimal penny we use today so I swapped some farthings for these as I didn't have enough The pre decimal penny i am laying out is certainly much larger

[@j.t.frompa5508]

Thank you. I just did a little wickepedia research and found out that when decimal pennies were introduced they were stamped as new pence or something like that but that after a few years the word "new" was dropped. Again thank you for your prompt response and for sharing your collection with us!

[@Letsplaypasi]

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...

[@BitsAndBobsCoins]

Lots of confusion out there for sure

[@scented-leafpelargonium3366]

Was there a groat 4 pence coin or was it put out of use? 🤔 Very good video. 🤗

[@BitsAndBobsCoins]

There was a groat but it stopped being used in the 1850s

[@scented-leafpelargonium3366]

@@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. 🤗

[@KeyToTime]

Amazing that you can easily divide 3p between 4 people if you needed though. Can't do that with decimal currency.

[@BitsAndBobsCoins]

Definitely a great system

[@richardseed8253]

3d not p d for denarii

[@omygodusernametaken]

What a great video!

[@BitsAndBobsCoins]

Thank you very much 🙏

[@JoshuasOfficialChannel]

Nice 👍

[@BitsAndBobsCoins]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@JoshuasOfficialChannel]

@@BitsAndBobsCoins your welcome I have a coin collection as well 👍

[@louisimission2153]

Great video, enjoyed that - dare I ask how many quater farthings in a 5 guinnea coin?

[@BitsAndBobsCoins]

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

[@louisimission2153]

Exellent. Very satisfying 🤝

[@louisimission2153]

I have also done some maths; 20,160 of the things would weigh 23.7kg

[@louisimission2153]

Aha, I have also found they would measure 272 meters if laid end to end in a ridiculous line

[@MichaelScalet72]

What is a collomn?

[@MrPaw45]

Good video but you made a mistake at 5:28 In the shilling column you added to many coins for the half crown. You should have only added a 6 pence where as you actually added 2/6 making the column total 4/6

[@BitsAndBobsCoins]

Apologies Thank you 🙏

[@grahamturner5963]

That was fun 😃 Good job you didn't try this with the 1/3 farthing - you'd be on this till Christmas 😉

[@BitsAndBobsCoins]

Your definitely right, if fractional farthings were included I would need a bigger table.

[@jonslandfill]

reta video!

[@jeremysepicrun]

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

[@sirmadness]

The confusing bit is in media where they refer to huge numbers of old coinage. “200 shillings” and not “ten pounds” or “10000 florins” instead of “a thousand pounds.” God knows why, but yeah.

[@BitsAndBobsCoins]

Very true

[@tanelipirinen]

One guinea?

[@BitsAndBobsCoins]

252 pence 21 Shillings

[@RaimoHöft]

So, 100 guineas a week are 25200 pence or 2100 shilling... or 105 pounds, right? I've always wondered, how many money Doctor Nookey was earning a week from this miracelous serum, he discovered at the Beatific Islands. 😜 PS May the fertility of Sumakas swell your coconuts! 🤗 PPS That would be round about 3000 pounds of todays money, if I'm not wrong... NICE!!! 👌🏻 And paying 10 £ for entering the camping side of Mr Fiddler, thinking it is nude camping, was like paying 300 £ today! 😁

[@shauncorless8965]

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,,

[@BitsAndBobsCoins]

Yes, coins had much more of a value back then

[@paulnicholson1906]

If I was sulking my dad would say “lad you look like you lost a shilling and found a tanner”.

[@orionrichardson]

Much easier to use galleons, sickles and knuts

[@vaiovm]

In my opinion (as a huge Harry Potter fan), galleons, sickles and knuts are honestly harder, because they rely on numbers that aren't round and seemingly random, making calculations literal headaches.

[@2204happy]

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.

[@BitsAndBobsCoins]

Yes apologies

[@2204happy]

@@BitsAndBobsCoins no need to apologise I was just pointing out a mistake 😁 £sd can be very confusing sometimes

[@gerritleemburg6777]

Funny video I must say.

[@BitsAndBobsCoins]

Thanks 👍

[@lanamack1558]

Don't you people have proofreaders?

[@BitsAndBobsCoins]

Sadly not

[@daverees9344]

You forgot the 4 shillings or double florin.

[@BitsAndBobsCoins]

True but it was not a lasting denomination

[@jamiehughes5573]

I find it funny it's technically still legal tender because it was basically forgotten. But because it was silver it was far move valuable than it's face value

[@paulnicholson1906]

You needed to wear a belt with a pocket full of pennies or your pants would be around your ankles.

[@BitsAndBobsCoins]

😂

[@vardekpetrovic9716]

1008 farthings in the gold guinea

[@BitsAndBobsCoins]

Very true

[@christiangraham1]

Are you Victorian?

[@BitsAndBobsCoins]

😂

[@bottlecapdave2021]

Third Farthing and Quarter farthing visualisation please. 😂

[@BitsAndBobsCoins]

The table would collapse 😂

[@bottlecapdave2021]

@@BitsAndBobsCoins and we must include the rest of the sovereign denominations. Let's do this 💪😁

[@babyinuyasha]

The half crown should have 2 shillings, not 4

[@BitsAndBobsCoins]

Yes apologies

[@markus4595]

What, no quarter farthings, half farthings or that three-farthings from Malta? :D I tried making a list a while ago: Quarter Farthing: 1/4 farthing, 1/16 penny Third Farthing: 1/3 farthing, 1/12 penny Half Farthing: 1/2 farthing, 1/8 penny Farthing: ¼ penny Half Penny: ½ penny Penny (d): 1 penny Half Groat: 2 pence Threepence: 3 pence Groat: 4 pence Sixpence: 6 pence Double Groat: 8 pence Shilling (s): 12 pence Quarter Noble: 1 shilling 8 pence Florin: 2 shillings Half Crown: 2 shillings 6 pence Half Noble: 3 shillings 4 pence Double Florin: 4 shillings Crown: 5 shillings Noble: 6 shillings 8 pence Half Mark: 6 shillings 8 pence Double Crown: 10 shillings Half Sovereign: 10 shillings Mark: 13 shillings 4 pence Sovereign: 20 shillings Guinea: 21 shillings Pound (£): 240 pence

[@BitsAndBobsCoins]

Very comprehensive I think If I included quarter Farthings I would need a stronger table

[@markus4595]

@@BitsAndBobsCoins Indeed! 1/3840th of a pound, quite small. Fun side fact: The three-farthings of Malta was made to replace the native currency Grano, valued at 1/12th of a penny and by odd coincidence the New Pence is valued at 5/12ths or 1 and 2/3 three-farthings!

[@TheRealBatabii]

"collomn"??

[@musicredsubaru]

How much did a farthing buy in 1940? 😲

[@BitsAndBobsCoins]

About 7p today

[@MasontheRedman]

Quarter and Third Farthings Exist

[@BitsAndBobsCoins]

Yes, for use in the colonies though

[@J3D1D14H]

Lol the video is 12min 20sec

[@BitsAndBobsCoins]

Wow That's a coincidence

[@thestackcollector]

Oh btw do you guys have an email address people can contact you on?

[@jameseglavin4]

“collomn” lol fix your thumbnail

[@BitsAndBobsCoins]

Apologies

[@jameseglavin4]

@@BitsAndBobsCoins lol no sweat I’m just being a dick ✌️❤️

[@Kevin-e6z7z]

you don't have george III cartwheel 2 pence?