15th February 2021 - Decimalization and solving an old Question

Thought for the day :"Apparently, today is Ferris Wheel Day. It comes round every year . . "

In other news - it is 50 years since decimilisation

Change in Money

Pre-Decimal Menu from a Greasy Spoon....

I had to look it up, as I have a tale that I tell about busking in London, when the 50p piece was first introduced to replace the Ten Bob Note, (Ten Shillings or half a GBP). It was the habit of most people who deigned to throw some money into the guitar case as they passed for the gents to fell in their pocket and look for a florin, two shillings and cast it into the box without looking. Smaller than the Penny, and a different texture, and larger that the halfpenny, it was a fairly generous donation, and one that many business men would consider part of their daily charitable feel-good. Others would grab the coppers - so if there were as couple of pennies in it - they would not worry too much.

However, as I recall, the day that the 50p coin came out, those of us out busking made more per hour than I would make in a week two years later. I was playing Marble Arch, in the underpass, s great spot to get each day, with mosaic behind in the corner of the tunnel and a good view along two directions, so as to get a good view if the "authorities" approached. Busking was not legal in those days and police would often move us on. They were not as harsh as on the Underground where the British Transport Police were very keen and often did "pincer actions" to catch you and it was useful to have a "bottler" someone collecting money for you who could run in another direction with the guitar case.... Sadly I was younger and rarely had a "bottler" - I depended upon an open guitar case, Dougal (from Magic Roundabout) hanging from the neck, Zebeddee and Mr Rusty propped in the case, and a hearty use of children's songs during the day. Why Children's Songs? Well if Mum was going passed with her children (and I am not being sexist - in those days it would have been rare to see a father with children - maybe a whole family but rarely as a single parent). The Kids would want to "give something to the man" so Mum would have to find a coin for each to give. A sixpence from each soon mounted up.

For those who grew up with decimilisation - it does not trip off the tongue that there were 40 sixpences to a pound, but in those days we knew about 240 pennies to a pound, 8 half crowns, and sad to say I am still happier with 12 inches to a foot and 36 inches to a yard but that is another story!

But back to Marble Arch. We had a very efficient and unwritten system of booking the pitches. Unless you were the first on the pitch (never me) then you would stroll up with your guitar and hang around until the end of a song. Check who was listed on next - all verbal and get your name added for maybe an hour or two hours ahead. We all seemed to do an hour at a time with no real problem. The system is known as "Buggin's" Turn which is booking by rotation and not by merit .. A look at current Busking rules - of course they are on the 'net now !! they still apply for that part of town...

(I cannot believe that there are no photos of the pedestrian access but have searched for a long time with no result yet - I will add at a future time when I find some).

So I was in the corner with the lovely background, Guitar Case and Magic Roundabout in place, singing standards from Streets of London, Gypsy Boy and I, Cocaine Blues, Puff the Magic Dragon, and others that I cannot now recall as they are in the dimmest parts of time - though I probably still sing them, and did my hour as usual. Now, don't get me wrong, I was a youngster with a reasonable talent on the guitar, I got grade 5 Classical Guitar, though that was not what I was playing, and I think my voice mainly stayed in key - but I was not going to be "discovered" as some unknown talent..

So, when my hour finished I dished the money in to a bag and closed up and - as was courtesy, waited for the next singer to do his first song before waving a farewell and heading to a bench in Hyde Park to see what the day had brought.

In fairness, even when collecting the money I had not really noticed much in the way of difference in the "take" because the coins were similar enough to the "normal" to have confused a large number of people that day. Mums and kids were safe - a sixpence is a sixpence (think 5p piece) small an insignificant. I should mention that the 2 Shilling coin or florin was a much heftier version of the later 10p piece of the same size and value...

Well the count was quite outstanding. I had over £34 in that hour !!

For every 50p coin in the take I am sure that the doner had thought they were giving a generous 2 shillings, but actually parted with ten bob !!

To put this into context - look again at the menu above. Think what £34 would buy.

Or this bar list from 1971 - thanks to my mate Bob

(though these were Welsh Prices)

But my confusion was not about the story - I remember it well. What always confused me was that decimalization was in 1971. 1971 would have been a better age - after all I was 17 in 1971. But it was the 15 year old "Wes" Sewell who busked London. It was "Wes" who went to the Free Concerts in Parliament Hill, was at the front of the "Stones in the Park" having got to the front by handing out leaflets for a young entrepreneur who ran "Student's Advisory Bureau" offering advice to the "youth" of they day (though why Richard Branson owes me 10 shillings is a story for another day). It was young "Wes" who worked in Carnaby Street selling tourist badges, and had his guitar stolen.

And so I never told the story because it did not fit with the dates. Decimilisation was 1971. But today I checked for the first time and discovered that the 50p piece was actually introduced in 1969!!! October 1969 would have been half term (yes I went back to school after the summer of #69) and an opportunity to nip up to London on the tube and get some Christmas Money together.

The seven-sided 50p coin first came into circulation on 14 October 1969, to replace the ten shilling note, ahead of Britain’s move to decimalisation in 1971.
At the time of its release, the new cupro-nickel 50p was the world’s first heptagonal (seven-sided) coin in circulation.

And once again, to put this amount into context. When I left school in 1972 and started earning and paying rent and feeding myself together with Susie's earnings, my work doing industrial cleaning with Independent Cleaning Services at Simms Motor Industry provided me with a very robust £17.60 per week  before tax. WE ran two cars and a motor bike on that as I recall. 

So - that is one old puzzle put out of my worries..

In the real world of today 

A bit of an improvement this morning - mainly due, sad to say, to a good night's sleep for the first time since this little infection started. Was never a believer in medication but seem to be rattling most of the time at the moment. Luckily managed to finish the antibiotics so that is one less three times a day. Ointment seems to be affecting the eye to benefit and the swelling is down and the itching is lessened.

The scabs are now coming out on the forehead and am getting nearer to the days of putting socks on the hands - but mainly am managing to keep the hands away and have avoided scratching so far.

The sleep last night seems to be associated with taking a couple of cocodomol and it knocked me out until 5.30am, a good 6 hours undisturbed. Then managed to struggle on until 9am. Made a huge difference to how I was feeling this morning...

Which was just as well as the Man from GrowitMowit brought all the garden machinery home.

Mulcher works - so we can start getting some of the undergrowth chopped back and I am looking forward to that when I can get out again. The Power Tractor does not run.. Apparently they managed to get it started, doing the standard spark plug check, blow through the tubes, change the oil and fresh fuel, but then they go straight to changing the carburetor. Apparently works when spraying carburetor spray into the chamber but will not keep going on petrol... Put it under a tarp until I can get it to Llanelli.

Was so heavy they brought the low loader - I was not looking forward to lifting it again.

The chain saw didn't make it though so I decided to splash out on a new one so I know it will work - spent the day reading the manual. Think it will please Stuart .... New toys for Boys...

Had a call from Spec savers in Llanelli, nice that they are following up in that fashion. Decided to leave it a week before having another test.. Will try Cardigan - but not confident that they will have availability.

In other news, we were offered a Vaccine last Friday - but as we had to go to Carmarthen first we opted for the last of the day the 6pm slot. We had a call in the afternoon saying that they had run out of vaccines so we are now booked in for next Friday at 10am. Can't be too soon !

And with that I wish you well for my last day of my 66th Year ..

Cheers !

Maybe a salad..