Decimal day in Southampton and its effect on the people

Over the next couple of years, we will find King Charles replacing Queen Elizabeth II on cash, but in February 1971, Hampshire people faced one of the most dramatic changes, not just to money, but to their way of life.

On Monday, February 15, designated “D-Day”, all the old British coins and notes – much a part of the nation’s heritage – were swept aside and replaced by decimal currency.

Everyone had to quickly grow accustomed to new pence, and the fact that 100p was now worth £1, a shilling had become 5p, sixpences and threepenny pieces were to disappear, and the familiar, much-loved, ten bob notes were replaced by a new-fangled, seven-sided coin.

Now, more than half a century later, shillings, sixpences, threepenny pieces and ten bob notes have receded into history.

That said, there will be many older local people who remember with fondness “oncers’’, “smackers’’ (both nicknames for £1) and “half a crown’’. While something in plentiful supply is often described as “ten a penny’’.

As per the Daily Echo of that time, the decimal changeover day went fairly well, with none of the chaos that was expected. However, it was noted by shopkeepers that there was a noticeable drop in the number of customers as many people sought to convert their old coinage into new money at home.

The newspaper’s front page headline did hint at some people’s fears, with the clever play on words: “Right on the dot… DEra Living is with us – but not, we hope dearer living.’’ 

One shopper told the Daily Echo: “I like something that feels like money, and this does not. They have done away with the old halfpenny and they should have left it at that, as this is far too small.’’ 

On Southampton Corporation buses, passengers were confused as the conductors accepted both old and new coins -  the transport department did not officially convert its coins until seven days after the buses were put into service.

In many stores and supermarkets, extra staff were assigned to ensure customers were not hurried while at counters working out the new prices.

To a degree, confusion continued, as the old “£sd’’ was legal tender for a further 18 months.

Customers were still able to use both currencies during the changeover period, but large retailers only gave change in the new coinage.

Many others, mainly smaller shops and businesses, continued dealing in the old currency, and the sixpenny piece remained in circulation for another two years. 

The next day the Daily Echo published a cut-out and keep decimal ready reckoner, while Post Office engineers began a three-week long conversion programme in which all telephone boxes were modified to take only the new 2p or 10p coins.

Some Southampton shops, such as the former C&A in Above Bar, marked the price of items in both the old and new prices.

Others, including the one-time Tyrrell and Green and Edwin Jones, had marked their goods with both in the weeks leading up to D-Day, but after the changeover date just the new denominations appeared on the price tags.

Converting to decimal coinage was an expensive operation, with the Southampton branch of the Co-op spending £36,000 – the equivalent of £370,000 in today’s costs – on modifying old cash registers and buying new machines.

Hundreds of tills in the branch’s 67 shops, 23 supermarkets and three departmental stores needed changing, while 50 new calculating and adding machines, and five large accounting machines, were also acquired by the Co-op.

Nearly 900 Co-op staff, from bosses to shop assistants, took part in regular training sessions organised by a team of resident decimal instructors.

Cutting through the jargon

And to help people cut through the jargon - here's how to tell the difference between bobs, tanners, smackers and monkeys:

• Bob – one shilling or 12 old pennies, 20 shillings to the pound. Usage of “bob” for shilling dates back to the late 1700s. Origin of the word is not known for sure, but could be connected with the church or bell-ringing, since “bob’’ meant a set of changes rung on the bells.
• Coppers – pre-decimal farthings, ha’pennies and pennies, and to a lesser extent 1p and 2p coins since decimalisation. Also meaning a very small amount of money.
• Dosh – a reasonable amount of spending money, almost certainly derived from the slang “doss-house’’, meaning a very cheap hostel or room.
• Florin – a two-shilling or “two bob’’ coin, from the Latin for “flower”, and equivalent to 10p, a tenth of a pound.
• Guinea – an amount of money equating to 21 shillings, or in modern sterling, £1.05.
• Monkey – £500, probably slang from the early 1800s, associated with Indian rupee banknotes featuring the animal.
• Nicker – £1, from the early 1900s, precise origin unknown. Possibly connected to the use of nickel in the minting of coins.
• Smackers – a number of pounds, with one dictionary suggesting it might be derived from smacking notes down on to a table.
• Tanner – slang for six old pennies, derived, most probably, from Romany gipsy “tawno’’, meaning small one.