When Britain Went Decimal

The United Kingdom was the last major nation-state in the world to adopt decimal currency, 50 years ago in 1971. Why was it so slow to do so? What changed politicians' and peoples' minds about it in the 1960s? Were Britain's plans to join the EEC influential? What was the impact of South Africa, Australia and New Zealand going decimal several years earlier? Or did it simply happen because of common sense, with a decimal system so much easier to learn and use than pounds, shillings and pence?The route to find the right designs was a complex one, with interfering politicians, struggling artists, and at one stage an angry Duke of Edinburgh! It took over five years to get there, and then there was the seven-sided 50 pence - a design classic we would say today, but what did the media and public think of it when it was launched in 1969?When Britain Went Decimal takes readers through the changeover leading to D-Day (decimalisation day), and beyond: how smooth and successful was the process? Did newspapers secretly hope it would fail? While decimalisation might have seemed right at the time, did it lead to inflation, as many people believe today?Entertainingly written and beautifully illustrated, this first book on decimalisation since 1973 attempts to answer all these questions and more, looking as much at the design - indeed the 'art' behind the new coinage - as at social, economic and political history.

The Coins of England and the United Kingdom Pre-Decimal and Decimal volumes comprise the Standard Catalogue of British Coins, with the pre-decimal issues under Elizabeth II (and all previous coinage) listed in a separate volume. This volume of Decimal issues under Elizabeth II gives a comprehensive overview of all individual coins and sets issued by the Royal Mint since 1971 (and in circulation since 1968), offering an authoritative catalog of modern British coins. The revisions and updates completed in 2021 have been built upon to provide a completely comprehensive guide to decimal coinage in the year of its 50th anniversary, and the volume is published in hardback for the first time to celebrate this milestone.

Published to commemorate the 50th anniversary of decimalisation in February 2021, this compact book gives a general introduction to the biggest reform to the UK currency in its 1500-year history. The planning and implementation of decimalisation is covered from different angles including the role of the Decimal Currency Board, the production of new coins at the Royal Mint, as well as the preparation of businesses and the public for 'D-Day'. Combining political and social aspects of the currency reform, it contextualises important moments and key challenges within a clear and compelling narrative. Featuring exclusive interviews and profiles of the people involved - from shop workers to the designer of the coinage - this entertaining book will immerse the reader in early 1970s Britain, at an important moment in its history.

This historic reference work for British coins is still the only catalog to feature every major coin type from Celtic to the Decimal coinage of Queen Elizabeth II, arranged in chronological order and divided into metals under each reign, then into coinages, denominations and varieties. All decimal coinage since 1968 is listed in a separate volume, available as an independent publication. The catalog includes up-to-date values for every coin, a beginner’s guide to coin collecting, numismatic terms explained and historical information about each British coin, from our earliest (Celtic) coins, Roman, Anglo-Saxon and Norman coins, the coins of the Plantagenet Kings, the Houses of Lancaster and York, the Tudors and Stuarts, to the more modern Milled coinage, minted for the first time in 1561 during the reign of Elizabeth I. From the earliest of times, coins have been used by states or monarchs to communicate with people; Coins of England and the United Kingdom is therefore not only a reference book for collectors, but a fascinating snapshot of British history, illuminating its economics, technology, art, politics and religion. As always, the content has been updated and improved throughout by the editors, with numerous new images and revisions of key sections.

This historic reference work for British coins is still the only catalogue to feature every major coin type from Celtic to the present day, arranged in chronological order and divided into metals under each reign, then into coinages, denominations and varieties. Under Elizabeth II the decimal issues are separated from the pre-decimal coinages, with all decimal coinage since 1968 listed in a separate volume.