Office Conversation of the Day

[XFool]

I attended a social event at a pub, The Penny Farthing.
Hardly anyone else attending had heard of a farthing, let alone what the coin looked like.

Mind you, farthing became indelibly stuck in my memory when as a youngster I fell out with the owner of our local sweetshop. Aniseed balls were 4 for a penny (1d), he'd refused to sell me one aniseed ball because he hadn't got change of a halfpenny.

In my case the local baker's wife was the only person left known to give farthings in change. One day, after buying a loaf, I ran home and asked my mother what the "funny coin" was in the change.

[marronier]

The farthing was withdrawn 60 years ago in 1959. At the time ,it had the purchasing power equivalent to 5p today. The powers that be are still turning out 1p,2p ,5p coins.

[swill453]

The farthing was withdrawn 60 years ago in 1959. At the time ,it had the purchasing power equivalent to 5p today. The powers that be are still turning out 1p,2p ,5p coins.

We've just become ridiculously sentimental. Propose abolishing copper coins (a very sensible move IMO) and there would be protest marches and shrieking tabloid headlines.

Scott.

[scotia]

By the early fifties the use of the farthing was, in my experience, uncommon, although the ha'penny (halfpenny) was in everyday use. But I remember clearly the farthing's beautiful image of a Wren, however I had to look up (on Google) the ha'penny to remind me of its decoration - a sailing galleon.

[UncleEbenezer]

Now that most money is electronic, you can have amounts for which no coin exists.

For example, when something is priced by weight. Your smallest coin might be 5p, but you could still pay £1.23 for your weighed fruit.

[redsturgeon]

Now that most money is electronic, you can have amounts for which no coin exists.

For example, when something is priced by weight. Your smallest coin might be 5p, but you could still pay £1.23 for your weighed fruit.

The last time I looked 1p and 2p coins were still available!

John

[swill453]

Now that most money is electronic, you can have amounts for which no coin exists.

For example, when something is priced by weight. Your smallest coin might be 5p, but you could still pay £1.23 for your weighed fruit.

The last time I looked 1p and 2p coins were still available!

John

Ah, but can you buy a litre of petrol with cash, at £1.29.9?

Scott.

[redsturgeon]

Now that most money is electronic, you can have amounts for which no coin exists.

For example, when something is priced by weight. Your smallest coin might be 5p, but you could still pay £1.23 for your weighed fruit.

The last time I looked 1p and 2p coins were still available!

John

Ah, but can you buy a litre of petrol with cash, at £1.29.9?

Scott.

AFAIK the digital pump meter only displays whole pennies.

John

[UncleEbenezer]

Now that most money is electronic, you can have amounts for which no coin exists.

For example, when something is priced by weight. Your smallest coin might be 5p, but you could still pay £1.23 for your weighed fruit.

The last time I looked 1p and 2p coins were still available!

John

I was, of course, merely expressing in £ a situation that prevails in other currencies where the lowest physical coin has a denomination higher than one.

For example, Scandinavian currencies.

[gvonge]

there would be protest marches and shrieking tabloid headlines.

Don't we get these anyway?

[XFool]

'Bring back the 10 Bob note!'

[brightncheerful]

To me, the dollar has always been 5 bob (5/-)

[sg31]

I was born in 1955 and I remember the farthing. 4 Black Jacks for a farthing was a must buy for me. I was gutted when the farthing went and it became 4 for a ha'penny. Daylight robbery, it should have been 8.

It wasn't long before it became 4 for a penny but by that time my parents had a shop so I didn't have to buy them.

I've no idea why it bothered me so much, I was only 4 and it's not like I was having to earn the money. I think that was the first time I realised the world wasn't fair. I can still remember feeling the anger at the irrationality 60 years later.

[brightncheerful]

Until today*, I thought a groat (aka Joey) was a silver thruppenny bit or - if you prefer - threepenny bit.
It was 4d.

However, threepenny bits used to be silver before the brass threepenny bit took over.


* No Wikipedia in the old days.

[Rhyd6]

I have a Macintosh's Toffee tin which is full to the gunnels of silver threepenny joeys. My father collected them, and I've just hung onto them. I remember going to the shop with a farthing and a coupon to buy sweets. Aunty Em's sweet shop, a paradise as far as we kids were concerned. She must have been a very patient woman because we all took ages to spend our few coppers.

R6

[bungeejumper]

Aunty Em's sweet shop, a paradise as far as we kids were concerned. She must have been a very patient woman because we all took ages to spend our few coppers.

About the time I gave up teaching in 1979, our little charges were being wonderfully cared for by the lovely lady who ran the sweet shop next door. Brenda would go to any lengths to supply them with a pennyworth of blackjacks or half a bag of space dust, and she was much loved by everybody. Proper old-fashioned stuff, and exactly the way I remember the sweet shops of my 1950s youth where we would agonise over a farthing's worth of bubble gum or maybe half a tube of Love Hearts. Or a frozen Jubbly. (Anybody remember those?)

It was only after I'd left town that they found that Brenda had also been selling them cigarettes in twos and threes, and sometimes on tick. Much as her kind had been doing since long before the first World War. Whoops.

BJ

[stevensfo]

The farthing was withdrawn 60 years ago in 1959. At the time ,it had the purchasing power equivalent to 5p today. The powers that be are still turning out 1p,2p ,5p coins.

We've just become ridiculously sentimental. Propose abolishing copper coins (a very sensible move IMO) and there would be protest marches and shrieking tabloid headlines.

Scott.

I believe that 'shrieking' is now a prerequisite for all tabloids, with a non-shrieking break for lunch and another for when the owner is back in their foreign residence unable to sack anyone over non-Brexit headlines. Any further shrieking required is supplied by appropriate soaps designed to exhaust the shrieker-lovers so they go to bed early before the grown-up programmes start.

Steve

Cynical...moi?

[scotia]

However, threepenny bits used to be silver before the brass threepenny bit took over.

Silver threepenny bits were hoarded to put in the Christmas pudding. I don't know how many were swallowed by the kids, but, being a noble metal, they were ultimately returned unaffected.

[brightncheerful]

I believe that 'shrieking' is now a prerequisite for all tabloids, with a non-shrieking break for lunch and another for when the owner is back in their foreign residence unable to sack anyone over non-Brexit headlines. Any further shrieking required is supplied by appropriate soaps designed to exhaust the shrieker-lovers so they go to bed early before the grown-up programmes start.
Steve

Last week in a sports hall devoted to the noble art of playing of badminton, a group of young women, age range teen to adult, were shrieking. Yours truly, obliged to have my preference for quiet shattered, concluded that the shrieking represented remnants of the Donny Osmond fan club.

[sg31]

About the time I gave up teaching in 1979, our little charges were being wonderfully cared for by the lovely lady who ran the sweet shop next door. Brenda would go to any lengths to supply them with a pennyworth of blackjacks or half a bag of space dust, and she was much loved by everybody. Proper old-fashioned stuff, and exactly the way I remember the sweet shops of my 1950s youth where we would agonise over a farthing's worth of bubble gum or maybe half a tube of Love Hearts. Or a frozen Jubbly. (Anybody remember those?)

It was only after I'd left town that they found that Brenda had also been selling them cigarettes in twos and threes, and sometimes on tick. Much as her kind had been doing since long before the first World War. Whoops.

BJ

I liked frozen Jubbly, we sold them in our shop and they always seemen much better value than lollies. Lasted a lot longer as well because you had to suck them, if you tried to bite them you would barely make an impression.

Still available in supermarkets in unfrozen multipacks but they seem much smaller, although that might be because everything seems bigger whem you are a small child.