More interesting than..........

[Evans Electric]

..........WAGOs . Specially for anyone less than 100 years old is this QI .

I once tried to explain old non decimal British currency to two apprentices (Eh! What are they ? Young gawky kids who are supposed to be learning the trade , took 'em 5 years to make a decent cuppa)

Quite simple really............

2 Farthings = 1 Halfpenny

2 Halfpennies = 1 Penny

3 Pennies = 1 Threepennybit

6 Pennies = 1 Tanner

12 Pennys = A Bob or Shilling

2 Bob or Shillings = A Florin

2shillings & sixpence = Half a dollar

2 Half Dollars = 5 Bob

8 half Dollars = A pound

240 Pennies = 1 Pound

1pound + 1shilling = 1 Guinea

Easy Eh !! :C Now at the risk of going into a Python sketch , to indicate the value of inflation...you could buy a bag of chips for either Fourpence , Sixpence , ninepence or a shilling ( A Bobs worth of chips would feed a family of four)

Pack of 10 ciggies 1/9d ( 1 shilling and ninepence)

Or a gallon (not a LITRE) of petrol was 4/6 d ( four shillings & sixpence) or less than .25 (1/4) of a pound .

 

[SPECIAL LOCATION]

1pound + 1shilling = 1 Guinea

Is the next word....

PIG!?

:Blushing :Applaud:Applaud

 

[Evans Electric]

You gorritt Specs.

Now for my next lecture ................linear measurement .

As far as I know, an inch was the length of the King's thumb from the end to the knuckle . A foot was his foot , a yard was either the King's pace or the distance from his nose to the tip of his outstretched arm .

A willey was ........ well we won't go into that one !!

 

[SPECIAL LOCATION]

You gorritt Specs. Now for my next lecture ................linear measurement .

As far as I know, an inch was the length of the King's thumb from the end to the knuckle . A foot was his foot , a yard was either the King's pace or the distance from his nose to the tip of his outstretched arm .

A willey was ........ well we won't go into that one !!

we can leave the "willey" till playtime! :Salute

 

[Evans Electric]

Something I have always found amusing ( doesn't take much) is that ( And this is true !!!!) there is a British Standard Finger , its made from brass, has all the joints and is used to test electrical enclosures etc for the IP rating .

Specs used to work there but got the sack for picking his nose with it :red card

 

[SPECIAL LOCATION]

Something I have always found amusing ( doesn't take much) is that ( And this is true !!!!) there is a British Standard Finger , its made from brass, has all the joints and is used to test electrical enclosures etc for the IP rating . Specs used to work there but got the sack for picking his nose with it :red card

And scratching me Bum!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ROTFWLROTFWL

 

[Evans Electric]

You must have an IP rating then Specs ??? :slap

 

[sprocketflup]

Something I have always found amusing ( doesn't take much) is that ( And this is true !!!!) there is a British Standard Finger , its made from brass, has all the joints and is used to test electrical enclosures etc for the IP rating . Specs used to work there but got the sack for picking his nose with it :red card

I believe theres more than one

lol at this whole thread - I was born just as they decimalised, after looking at your explanation, Im very glad of that

 

[Bwy]

And scratching me Bum!!!!!!!!!!!!!ROTFWLROTFWL

Which did you do first................YUK !!!!...... :C

 

[MalcyB]

..........WAGOs . Specially for anyone less than 100 years old is this QI .I once tried to explain old non decimal British currency to two apprentices (Eh! What are they ? Young gawky kids who are supposed to be learning the trade , took 'em 5 years to make a decent cuppa)

Quite simple really............

2 Farthings = 1 Halfpenny

2 Halfpennies = 1 Penny

3 Pennies = 1 Threepennybit

6 Pennies = 1 Tanner

12 Pennys = A Bob or Shilling

2 Bob or Shillings = A Florin

2shillings & sixpence = Half a dollar

2 Half Dollars = 5 Bob

8 half Dollars = A pound

240 Pennies = 1 Pound

1pound + 1shilling = 1 Guinea

Easy Eh !! :C Now at the risk of going into a Python sketch , to indicate the value of inflation...you could buy a bag of chips for either Fourpence , Sixpence , ninepence or a shilling ( A Bobs worth of chips would feed a family of four)

Pack of 10 ciggies 1/9d ( 1 shilling and ninepence)

Or a gallon (not a LITRE) of petrol was 4/6 d ( four shillings & sixpence) or less than .25 (1/4) of a pound .

I thought it was half a crown?

 

[Evans Electric]

Which did you do first................YUK !!!!...... :C

:slap :slap

---------- AUTO MERGE Post added at 12:45 ---------- Previous post was at 12:40 ----------

I thought it was half a crown?

You're right Malcy, it was half a crown , half a dollar was the slang for it .

I think that , for a long time , there were 4 dollars to the pound , so 5 shillings = 1 dollar ...... 2/6d = half a dollar . Not sure though .

 

[kme]

a yard was either the King's pace or the distance from his nose to the tip of his outstretched arm .

Close, bud. With your arm stretched out in front of you, shoulders in line with your neck, with thumb rising vertically from your hand, the yard stretched from the tip of his nose to the thumb.

In a similar vein, 95% of people fit into the following category....

If you measure your outstretched arms, from tip of middle finger totip of middle finger, you will be within 12mm of your height. (Doesn`t work for me, though - arms are out of proportion......)

 

[Bwy]

Close, bud. With your arm stretched out in front of you, shoulders in line with your neck, with thumb rising vertically from your hand, the yard stretched from the tip of his nose to the thumb.In a similar vein, 95% of people fit into the following category....

If you measure your outstretched arms, from tip of middle finger totip of middle finger, you will be within 12mm of your height. (Doesn`t work for me, though - arms are out of proportion......)

Just like with most people....the distance from the tip of your thumb to the end of the finger next to it ............is the length of you nose...........

This does not apply to the bionic finger which "some" people scratch the fundamental orifice with then wap it up their nose in search of lunch..... :red card

 

[Robojin]

Here's another

A Caret, is a seed used in the Middle East, it is very uniform in weight, hence why it was used on the other side of a balance for bartering precious stones

 

[NozSpark]

What the hell are you on about Deke

 

[Evans Electric]

What the hell are you on about Deke

I don't know TBH I just started thinking about pre decimal currency ,as you do, and thoought I'd share it with everyone. :|

 

[exbdc]

What about pecks, bushels, furkins, rods poles & chains?

 

[Evans Electric]

Ah yes ... the good old days Eh ! You can't beat a good firkin hogshead .

I can see this going down the road of toast and dripping and cars with starting handles.

 

[Nicky Tesla]

It was all designed to be easy yo calculate in your head. Ie half of 240 is 120 half again ie a quarter is 60, half again ie an eighth is 30. And a third is 80 and a sixth is 40, nice easy numbers.

Now with decimal we get things like 0.3333333 recurring

Ever played darts? Its easy on double 16 cos next is dbl8 then dbl4 then dbl2 then dbl:coffee1(if you miss and get the dart in the number of course)

 

[kerching]

OK then, and even less interesting.

Herrings are measured in 'Tenhundreds'.......and a 'Tenhundred' is 1320!!. :C That is one of the things that makes this country so great, random measurements.

Which is longer A rod, A pole or A perch:innocent