What could you buy for a shilling in 1970-1971
In 1971 Britain replaced the pounds, shilling and pence system with decimal currency. I was wondering what you could buy with a shilling before we went decimal.
How much was a shilling worth?
A shilling was 12d or 12 old pence. It had the same value as 5p or 5 new pence. The new 5p coin was exactly the same size and weight as the one shilling coin.
In real terms, a shilling or 5p was worth a lot more in 1970 than it is today. For a quick comparison imagine one shilling as 50p today.
What could you buy?
A litre of petrol?
Not quite. People bought petrol in gallons in 1970. A gallon of petrol was 6s 8d. One shilling would get you 0.7 litres of petrol in 1970.
Post a letter or a parcel?
Yes. Postal rates in 1970 were the same as they were in 1968. The Post Office revised them in 1971 for decimalisation. From 1968-1970 you could post a letter Second Class for 4d or First Class for 5d. For a shilling, you could send a small parcel. For one shilling you could send an 8oz package First Class, although Second Class was better value. For one shilling you could send a 12oz parcel.
A phone call?
Yes. In 1970 you could call anywhere in the UK and talk for three minutes for one shilling. The one-shilling rate only applied after 6pm weekdays and Saturday or all day on Sunday. It also only applied to direct-dialled calls. Some calls still needed the operator's assistance in 1970. They cost more.
Food
A pint of milk?
Yes. A shilling would buy a pint of milk delivered by the milkman in 1970. Prices for some essentials, such as milk, bread and newspapers, were fixed by the government in 1970.
A loaf of bread
Not quite. A small 14oz unsliced white loaf cost 1s ½d in 1970. Sliced bread was dearer, as was brown.
What other food could you buy?
In 1970 you could buy these items for one shilling:
- Jacob's small butter puff biscuits
- Primula cheese spread with pineapple 2½oz
- Kerrygold cream 6oz
- Pannett & Neden - bread sauce
- Planter's popping corn 4oz
- Cream caramel ice cream 4oz
- Dairy Cream trifle
- Symington's gravy powder 4oz
- Pearce Duff's jelly crystals
- Kraft American lard 8oz
- Paxo stock cubes for beef, chicken or onion gravy
- Nestle's condensed milk, small tin
- Spar rice, semolina or macaroni pudding
- Sunpat peanuts - 1 pack
- Vivo ready-salted, cheese & onion or salt and vinegar crisps
- Saxa salt drum - 1½lb
- Haven Flake tapioca pre-packed 8oz
- Horniman's strong tea ¼lb
- Prince's tinned tomatoes - 300g
- Batchelor's butter beans picnic size
Source: Shaws - The Standard Guide to Fair Prices, November 1970
A can of Heinz baked beans was a little cheaper at 11d.
Soft drinks
You could buy these drinks for one shilling
- Canada Dry ginger beer 12oz
- Shandy bass 10oz
Beer
Canned beer was more expensive. A can of Skol lager cost 1s 9d. A can of Watneys Red Barrel Export or Ind Coope's Long Life was 1s 11d.
Source: Shaws - The Standard Guide to Fair Prices, November 1970
Sweets and chocolates
A shilling went much further in the confectionary world. You could get all of these for one shilling
- Barker & Dobson Party Buttons - 1 bag
- Bassett's Dolly Mixtures - ¼lb
- Bassett's Jelly Beans - ¼lb
- Bassett's Fruit Pastilles - ¼lb
- Bassett's Lico Logs - ¼lb
- Cadbury's Dairy Milk - bar
- Cadbury's Fruit & Nut - bar
- Cadbury's Whole Nut - bar
- Cadbury's Aztec - bar
- Mars Galaxy bar
- Nestle's Milky Bar
- Nestle's Milk Block
- Nestle's Raison Fruit & Nut - bar
- Nestle's Whole Nut - bar
- Rowntree's Aero - bar
- Rowntree's Polo Mints - multipack
- Rowntree's Fruit Gums - multipack
- Van Houten assorted fruit jellies
Source: Shaws - The Standard Guide to Fair Prices, November 1970
Comics and children's magazines
The Beano cost just 4d in 1970. The more educational, Look and Learn Weekly, cost one shilling.
Read more:
By Steven Braggs, December 2020
Comments
I was trying to remember if my mum bought me a doll for a shilling
When I was born in 1950, and, in 1967/8 you could buy a pint of beer for 1/-6. I was at school in Somerset, and a nearby pub, The Fire Engine, sold Scrumpy for 9d a pint.
It was a funny little pub: it had five barrels behind the bar (beer and cider) plus a small shelf above it with about five or six bottles of spirits.
And that was it!
(You had to be careful of the Landlord, Arthur James, and make sure that you checked your change!)
I joined the Navy in 1969 and was based at HMS Dolphin, in Gosport. We used to go to a pub called the Royal Arms and the favoured tipple was Bulmer's Medium cider (scrumpy). About twenty-one pints of that excellent brew could be bought for the exorbitant sum (so we thought) of £1. Those were the days.