The introduction of decimal currency in the UK and Ireland in February 1971 is a subject strangely neglected by historians of the period, despite it being a change which affected the daily life of everyone living in the British Isles at the time. Most histories of the 1960s and 1970s treat it as a mere footnote, an administrative reform of little significance, or ignore it altogether. What commentary there has been tends to be ill-informed, seeing decimalisation either as a harbinger of creeping Europeanisation or the trigger for the inflation of the mid-1970s or both. 50 years after “D-Day” there has been no comprehensive historical study of decimalisation, other than an official account by the secretary to the Decimal Currency Board, Noel Moore, in 1973. This ground-breaking work debunks the myths around the decimalisation project, and demonstrates, through an extensive examination of official documents and contemporary media reports, that the reform was an essentially conservative one. Far from ditching tradition in favour of ‘Euro-normality’, by retaining the pound as the ‘heaviest’ currency in the developed world, the UK government, keen to maintain the supposed prestige of Sterling effectively defended British exceptionalism. Only in the Irish Republic was the issue of compatibility with the currencies of Western Europe seriously considered. In examining the debates around decimalisation in Britain and Ireland from the mid-1950s through to 1971, this book fills a gap in the historiography, and through the prism of decimalisation, nuances our understanding of both the internal politics of the UK and Ireland, and relationships with Europe and the Commonwealth.

The introduction of decimal currency in the UK and Ireland in February 1971 is a subject strangely neglected by historians of the period, despite it being a change which affected the daily life of everyone living in the British Isles at the time. Most histories of the 1960s and 1970s treat it as a mere footnote, an administrative reform of little significance, or ignore it altogether. What commentary there has been tends to be ill-informed, seeing decimalisation either as a harbinger of creeping Europeanisation or the trigger for the inflation of the mid-1970s or both. 50 years after "D-Day" there has been no comprehensive historical study of decimalisation, other than an official account by the secretary to the Decimal Currency Board, Noel Moore, in 1973. This ground-breaking work debunks the myths around the decimalisation project, and demonstrates, through an extensive examination of official documents and contemporary media reports, that the reform was an essentially conservative one. Far from ditching tradition in favour of 'Euro-normality', by retaining the pound as the 'heaviest' currency in the developed world, the UK government, keen to maintain the supposed prestige of Sterling effectively defended British exceptionalism. Only in the Irish Republic was the issue of compatibility with the currencies of Western Europe seriously considered. In examining the debates around decimalisation in Britain and Ireland from the mid-1950s through to 1971, this book fills a gap in the historiography, and through the prism of decimalisation, nuances our understanding of both the internal politics of the UK and Ireland, and relationships with Europe and the Commonwealth.

Containing over 25,000 entries, this unique volume will be absolutely indispensable for all those with an interest in Britain in the twentieth century. Accessibly arranged by theme, with helpful introductions to each chapter, a huge range of topics is covered. There is a comprehensiveindex.

This is a detailed study of a little-known attempt to create monetary union throughout the whole of Europe in the late nineteenth century. It explores political, diplomatic, and economic aspects of the Latin Monetary Union between 1865 and 1873. Areas such as the debate between economists and the public, and the daily operations, conflicts of interest, and power struggles between national banks and governments in the age of Gladstone, Napoleon III, and Bismarck are examined.

Your Guide to the United Kingdom Decimal Halfpenny is a book dedicated to the Decimal Halfpenny denomination, largely illustrated with colour photography throughout. This guide gives a historical overview of both the decimal and pre-decimal Halfpenny. It also provides accurate descriptions of known varieties as well as expert guidance in grading and purchasing advice. Research Data Included in the book is a rarity index as well as tables containing all the research data. The reader can see for each year and variety exactly how many coins were found from a random sample of over 5,000 Halfpenny coins! Subjects Covered Varieties Grading History Full Details Descriptions Buying Guide Authentication Rarity And More! Until you read this book, you will not realise just how much there is to know about this charming little coin. With so many interesting nuggets of information, this is so much more than a guide to varieties. Buy the book, get engrossed and learn all about the United Kingdoms smallest ever circulating coin. You will be amazed by how much you learn.