DECIMAL DAY 50 YEARS ON
On February 15th, 1971, Britain’s currency went decimal. Back then, it was referred to as ‘Decimal Day’ (D-Day for short). In a stroke, the shilling of twelve pence & the pound of twenty shillings were gone, replaced by a ‘new’ pound of exactly one hundred ‘new pence’. To welcome this change a brand new set of coins was minted, from the little halfpenny to the big 50p, but there was no room in this line-up for what had become the nation’s favourite coin — the chunky 12-sided brass ‘Thru’penny Bit’.
The funny-shaped coin had been treated with suspicion when it was first introduced in the 1930s, but people soon grew to love it, and in 1971 many were saddened to see it go. So much so that when a new pound coin was introduced in 2017 it was decided to use the beloved 12-sided shape.
Even today, many people still say that the 3d is their favourite British coin, and now, to celebrate 50 years of decimalisation, it is making a return. Reminiscent of the time when a packet of biscuits or a block of butter cost less than two shillings, and Britain had ‘never had it so good’, this little coin connects us to our past and to happy memories.
Of course, the first 3d coins of Queen Elizabeth bore the youthful portrait by Mary Gillick, whose famous effigy showed a young monarch at the start of her reign, whereas this new ‘Thru’penny Bit’ depicts the nation’s longest-reigning monarch as she is now. What incredible changes she, indeed all of us, have witnessed since it last jingled in our pockets!
Whilst today’s coin sees the denomination change to ‘new pence’ to reflect our modern decimal age, the twelve sides, portcullis design & golden colour remain. It is a coin of yesterday updated for the 21st century.