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Old 24-02-2012, 09:30 AM
echinosum echinosum is offline
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First recorded activity by GardenBanter: Feb 2006
Location: Chalfont St Giles
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dave Hill View Post
I remember when they got rid of the 1/2 p the outcry that now prices would have to rise by 1p now.
Now when the supermarkets raise their prices, it seems to be 10p a
time.
5p today is worth about the same as 1/2 p at the time decimal coinage came in. So we may as well chuck the coppers now, not that they are copper any more, because the copper came to be worth more than the coin, they are coated steel.

It was amusing being in Portugal just before the Euro came in - their smallest coin at that time was the 2 1/2 Escudo. They had got rid of 1/2, 1 and 2 Escudo coins, but retained 2 1/2. It works. For us, that would be like keeping the old sixpence.