• This topic has 52 replies, 26 voices, and was last updated 1 year ago by Cougar.
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  • Penny chews?
  • Cougar
    Full Member

    Or, “pennies, what’s the clucking point?”

    I was wondering, what’s the smallest single unit of something you can actually buy (or round up or down to)? As a kid we’d go to the sweet shop and ask for “one of those, two of them…” with our 10p or 20p pocket money. Can you even buy single sweets any more or has pick ‘n’ mix destroyed that?

    If we got rid of 1p and 2p coins, would anyone care?

    imnotverygood
    Full Member

    What are these ‘coins’ of which you speak?

    onewheelgood
    Full Member

    I remember Blackjacks or Fruit Salads being a farthing each. Four for an old penny. Although to be fair, I was only one year old when the farthing was demonetised so I had to buy two for a halfpenny. And I’ve always hated liquorice so the only reason to buy Blackjacks was because they were the cheapest thing in the shop.

    Werther’s Original type reminiscing apart, even people who still use cash would hardly notice the withdrawal of the 1p and 2p coins.

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    longdog
    Free Member

    I was amazed when I went to Australia and they didn’t have ‘coppers’, it made it so much less hassle, but that was years ago, before everyone used cards for nearly everything.

    Onzadog
    Free Member

    Mojos were ½ pence each. Then went to 2 for a penny when ½ pence coins disappeared.

    As for not having small coins, I lived in Italy for a short while growing up and change in shops was “topped up” with boiled sweets because small enough coins didn’t exist. Fruit bonbons if memory serves

    Cougar
    Full Member

    What are these ‘coins’ of which you speak?

    Well, that’s a whole other discussion isn’t it. The only paper money I carry is an emergency tenner in case I end up in some throwback place that doesn’t take cards, and the only time I have coins is if I’ve had to break that note or I know in advance that I’m going to need them for parking or air at the petrol station or some such.

    I doubt I’m alone here either; it must be a particularly difficult time to be a tramp.

    zilog6128
    Full Member

    If we got rid of 1p and 2p coins, would anyone care?

    The pusher machines at the arcades would get a lot more expensive to play!

    Also the Rotary’s Telly-Go-Round machine opposite Herne Bay pier in the summer takes 2p pieces and has hitherto been protected from inflation since it’s construction in 1983; I guess they could re-jig it to take 10p but would be the end of an era!

    longdog
    Free Member

    Yeh I try to keep a pound in my wallet for shopping trolleys, and some cash in my saddle bag for ’emergencies’ , but rarely use anything other than my card now.

    I’d never have money on me for any charity collections, homeless people, or tips.

    Black jack’s, fruit salads, highland toffees, refreshers oh… the memories!

    the-muffin-man
    Full Member

    I think the lowest I’ve used is 5p coins in car park machines when I’ve rummaged through the car glovebox for change!

    Problem is that while coins exist something thats priced at say 71p would be rounded up to 75p so the right change could be given. It won’t be rounded down! 🙂

    Onzadog
    Free Member

    The example I gave from when we lived in Italy (pre euro) there prices weren’t rounded but the total bill was – and then compensated with sweets.

    Buy one thing a 71p and pay with a pound coin, you’d get 25p back and a couple of sweets. Buy 5 of them and it all works out

    scruff9252
    Full Member

    Problem is that while coins exist something thats priced at say 71p would be rounded up to 75p so the right change could be given. It won’t be rounded down! 🙂

    With inflation through the roof, any additional inflation caused by rounding up a couple of pence would be statistically insignificant. We could even make the smallest denomination £1 and the change would be barely felt.

    Cougar
    Full Member

    The pusher machines at the arcades would get a lot more expensive to play!

    Also the Rotary’s Telly-Go-Round machine opposite Herne Bay pier in the summer takes 2p pieces

    I suppose there’s no reason why they couldn’t be treated as tokens in an arcade, plenty of places do this already. Go to the change booth, get a quid’s worth of 2p coins, change back any winnings you might have (ho ho!) into valid currency at the end of the day.

    monkeyboyjc
    Full Member

    Cheapest ‘penny’ sweets are 2p now at RRP. Freddo frog is 25p, cheapest chew bar is 10p.

    I read somewhere that a 1p coin is now worth less than the 1/2 penny when that was removed from circulation.

    eddiebaby
    Free Member

    I doubt I’m alone here either; it must be a particularly difficult time to be a tramp.

    Or a busker.

    simon_g
    Full Member

    NZ lost 1 and 2 cent coins in the early 90s and 5 cent ones in 2006. Wish we’d do the same.

    I keep change in the car for parking but it’s rare now that you can’t pay with card or app.

    monkeyboyjc
    Full Member

    Or a busker.

    Ive seen a few with those sum up card machines permanently set on contactless payment for £1 or £5 tips.

    Cougar
    Full Member

    I keep change in the car for parking but it’s rare now that you can’t pay with card or app.

    The apps are all well and good of course, except everywhere you go uses a different one.

    esselgruntfuttock
    Free Member

    The only paper money I carry is an emergency tenner in case I end up in some throwback place that doesn’t take cards

    Or quite a few takeaways. Or somewhere that has little or no signal. These places do exist even today.

    The apps are all well and good of course, except everywhere you go uses a different one.

    Or the location has little or no signal. Like a few in Hampshire we visited this year.
    Parking apps should be standardised, I’ve got about 4 on my phone. Harrogate, Norfolk, Hampshire & Dorset

    maccruiskeen
    Full Member

    I doubt I’m alone here either; it must be a particularly difficult time to be a tramp.

    If you see someone in need and don’t carry cash then the best way to help them is to PayPal-gift some money to a some random top rate taxpayer and  the money will trickle down.

    fossy
    Full Member

    Even Freddo’s are about 30p now !

    molgrips
    Free Member

    The pusher machines at the arcades would get a lot more expensive to play!

    Bigger prizes though.

    Cougar
    Full Member

    Even Freddo’s are about 30p now !

    That’s a Thing.

    https://www.vouchercloud.com/resources/the-freddo-index

    devash
    Free Member

    I remember growing up in the 80’s. You’d get a huge buzz finding 1ps and 2ps (hell, if you were lucky maybe even a 5p!!!!) on the floor on the way to school. Straight to the newsagents to spend it on penny chews.

    Fruit Salads, Postman Pats, and those milk flavoured ones were the best. Anglo Bubbly were amazing too. Got a ton of fillings and a big gold crown to show for it all. 😀

    cinnamon_girl
    Full Member

    If we got rid of 1p and 2p coins, would anyone care?

    Yes, I use cash wherever possible so would care if those coins disappeared. Use it or lose it.

    fasthaggis
    Full Member

    Any spare change guv?

    Cougar
    Full Member

    Yes, I use cash wherever possible so would care if those coins disappeared. Use it or lose it.

    WTF are you buying for a penny?

    (also, I’m almost afraid to ask but, why?)

    Cougar
    Full Member

    I remember growing up in the 80’s. You’d get a huge buzz finding 1ps and 2ps (hell, if you were lucky maybe even a 5p!!!!) on the floor on the way to school.

    We used to call that the Pez Test. Chuck a penny on the floor and see which kids were enough of a ‘pez’ (peasant) to pick them up.

    Kids are bastards.

    ernielynch
    Full Member

    If we got rid of 1p and 2p coins, would anyone care?

    There’s some proper wealthy gits on stw.

    thisisnotaspoon
    Free Member

    Those of you worrying how rounding would work, you’ve bought petrol right?

    That’s had a pointless .9 on it, which hasn’t been possible to charge for since the farthing (0.104p). And was arguably rendered pointless when fuel stopped being 20.9p and started being 200.9.

    There’s some proper wealthy gits on stw.

    It takes over a kilo of them to buy a Greggs meal deal (£3).

    To put that into context, the scrap price of copper is £3.50/kg. You’d get more ‘money’ for your coin jar at the scrappy than at the bank! Enough to get a meal deal and a sausage roll.

    devash
    Free Member

    We used to call that the Pez Test. Chuck a penny on the floor and see which kids were enough of a ‘pez’ (peasant) to pick them up.

    I always wondered how all that copper ended on the floor. Also, thanks for all the penny chews. 😀

    the-muffin-man
    Full Member

    To put that into context, the scrap price of copper is £3.50/kg. You’d get more ‘money’ for your coin jar at the scrappy than at the bank!

    …if only they were actually made of copper! 🙂

    Cougar
    Full Member

    To put that into context, the scrap price of copper is £3.50/kg. You’d get more ‘money’ for your coin jar at the scrappy than at the bank!

    Copper coins aren’t copper, they’re copper-coated.

    I always wondered how all that copper ended on the floor. Also, thanks for all the penny chews. 😀

    Right? I saw this happen, a little kid baited the bullies to throw coins on the floor whilst they all laughed at him for being a pez, then went straight to the tuck shop with their money.

    maccruiskeen
    Full Member

    …if only they were actually made of copper!

    they were not so long ago – pennies have a steel core now, (so they’re magnetic) but they were solid copper back when you bought Mojos with them

    Those of you worrying how rounding would work, you’ve bought petrol right?

    That’s had a pointless .9 on it, which hasn’t been possible to charge for since the farthing (0.104p). And was arguably rendered pointless when fuel stopped being 20.9p and started being 200.9.

    When did you last buy a single litre of petrol though. It takes 90 litres for me to fill the tank so if fuel stations priced in full pennies then they could only vary the price of the transaction by quite large increments – plus or minus 90p, Given that petrol retailers are often only making between £1 and £2  profit (most of which vanished in fees if you pay by credit card) on each fuel sale then thats quite a large step between prices.

    WTF are you buying for a penny?

    (also, I’m almost afraid to ask but, why?)

    Its not really a case of whether theres anything you can buy for a penny its what difference it would make your your weekly shop if retailers could only vary their prices buy 5p or 10p of they couldn’t give change in coppers. 5p isn’t much but a lot of 5ps, every week, is. And given 25% of families are living in poverty in the UK (its close to 40% in some areas) just now I think lots of people are counting their pennies even if individually they don’t buy very much.

    Drac
    Full Member

    I remember Blackjacks or Fruit Salads being a farthing each. Four for an old penny. Although to be fair, I was only one year old when the farthing was demonetised so I had to buy two for a halfpenny

    Good memory for a 1 year old, let alone shopping skills.

    Think you can still get penny sweets but can’t say for sure.

    ernielynch
    Full Member

    Copper coins aren’t copper, they’re copper-coated.

    It must be a very thick coat – I have never seen the copper wear off a coin! Nor can I recall coins turning green.

    But yeah, they aren’t worth the metal that they are struck from.

    Drac
    Full Member

    Oh they turn green.

    onewheelgood
    Full Member

    Good memory for a 1 year old, let alone shopping skills.

    Fair point. By the time I was actually old enough to be buying them they were technically two for a halfpenny rather than one for a farthing.

    ernielynch
    Full Member

    Oh they turn green.

    I have never noticed modern coinage turn green no matter how wet it gets. I would expect damp copper to turn greenish fairly quickly.

    I might leave some loose change in some water to see what happens. And figure out a cunning way to cut a two pence piece in half so that I can marvel at its steel inner core.

    Although presumably it would be easier to just file off the copper coating on one side?

    maccruiskeen
    Full Member

    It must be a very thick coat – I have never seen the copper wear off a coin!

    Its a bit more than a coating. They were copper right through once. Now theres a steel core in the middle of a copper coin to reduce the cost of producing them

    Not withstanding the current shit-magedon it was still the case recently that 1p cost less than 1p to manufacture (having made that cost saving measure).. But states 1cent cost 1.5cents to make and a dime (5c) cost 6cents to make.

    maccruiskeen
    Full Member

    And figure out a cunning way to cut a two pence piece in half so that I can marvel at its steel inner core.

    And deface an image of old queenie? In the current climate?  Are you mad? You’ll be third against the wall after Philip Scofield and wosname.

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