What could you buy for a pound in 1960?
In 1960 the UK got a new one pound note. It was smaller than the old one. It was the first bank note to have a picture of the Queen on it. But what could you buy with it?
One pound in 1960 was quite a bit of money. The average manual worker made £14 in a week. 30 shillings (£1.50) would feed the average person for a week.
In today's money one pound in 1960 is about £17.
Even so in 1960 you couldn't buy much for it. Most electrical and electronic goods were more expensive. The cheapest transistor radios cost £10. A basic brownie camera also cost more than £1. The cheapest pair of jeans for an adult was 21 shillings (£1.05).
So, what could you get for a pound or less? A pound would get you the kind of things you could buy in the cheaper department stores like Woolworths. You could get cheap clothes, cheap suitcases and camping equipment from Halfords and Woolworths. A pound would also buy half a bottle of whisky, some cheap electrical goods or an expensive ballpoint pen.
These are some things you could get for £1 or just under in 1960.
- Man's nylon shirt (Woolworths) - 19s 11d
- Women's permanently pleated skirt (Woolworths) - 19s 11d
- Air bed (Woolworths) - 19s 6d
- 22" suitcase (Woolworths) - 19s 6d
- Polythene coal hod (Woolworths) - 19s 6d
- 24" electric fire (Woolworths) - 19s
- Folding stool (Woolworths) - 18s 6d
- Stresco Hiker's Stove (portable petrol stove) (1) - 19s 6d
- COIL S 372 battery slide viewer (1)- 18s
- Dubonnet aperitif wine (bottle) - 18s 6d
- Dewar's White Label whisky (half bottle) - 19s 6d
- Artificial suntan (bottle) - 17s 6d (1)
- Parker Jotter ballpoint pen - 20s
- Helix Everest school geometry set - 19s 9d
- Child's duffle coat (J A Davis) - 19s
- Pifco Flashing Lantern (Halfords) - 18s 11d
- Duffle bag (Halfords) - 19s 6d
- Cycle touring bag (Halfords) - 19s
- Sutty Cyclone Mk1 foot pump for car - (Halfords) - 19s 6d
- Reconditioned Army boots (pair) - 19s 6d
By Steven Braggs, February 2022
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