What could you buy for 50p 50 years ago?
As 2019 marks 50 years since the 50p coin was introduced, I thought it would be interesting to take a look at how the value of the 50p coin has changed since it was first introduced back in 1969.
Thinking back to my own childhood, I remember when 50p pocket money seemed to go quite a long way – especially when spending it on 1p sweets!
But just how far does 50p get you today compared to 1969?
Take a look at the helpful guide below to see just how much some everyday items have increased in cost during the past 50 years…
What was the last thing you remember buying for just 50p? And I wonder how much it would have cost you 50 years ago…
Celebrate 50 years of the 50p with 10 coins re-issued for 2019
To celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the 50p coin, The Royal Mint has re-issued ten of the most popular and collectable 50ps in British history, including the Kew Gardens 50p!
I was 10 years old in 1969, my pocket money from my dad for the week was 2/6d and 2/6d from my mum every Friday, I remember going to the fish and chip shop cod was 1/6 7.5 p and sixpence 2.5p for chips, 10p in all, newspaper wrapping was free, now cod & chips at least £7 or £8 now , a Milky Way chocolate bar was 3d 1p and a galaxy 6d 2.5p , once we went decimal in 1971 everything rocketed in price, houses, petrol, and as mentioned postage stamps, happy memories.
50p was the normal price for a single (45 rpm. 7-inch record) around 1969. Nowadays you can download them for less than that!
I was ten in October 1969 and had to wait for ages to even see the new ten bob coin as the ten shilling note was far more popular and didn’t get withdrawn till Nov ’70. Everything was cash in those days even my dad’s pay packet and he wouldn’t dream of going into a bank and asking for a 50p. 4 black jack sweets for 1d, smiths crisps 5d, school meals 7/6 (37.5p) for a week, dad’s bus fare to work 8d, a paperback book half a crown (12.5p), so the 50p was somewhere between £5 and £10 I suppose. A circulating five pound coin, now there’s an idea!
Black Jacks (plus Fruit Salads and MoJo’s) were 8 for 1d (4 for a halfpenny) so you could get a mind-numbing 960 for 50p (ten bob). Those were the days…..
Before the 50p was brought in we had the ten Bob note equivalent to 50pence.i as a small girl I found a ten Bob note went and told my mum .she said take it to sergant Webster which I did only for 3 weeks later it had t been claimed brought it back to me I brought a brand new pair of white socks for 47p and 3p of seeets
Rowntree’s Fruit Pastilles Sweets 52.5g price 60p deal in asda 2 for £1
Here’s something that’s gone up by even more than petrol – in 1969 a 1st class stamp cost 5d so you could buy 24 for 50p (=120d). Now 24 first class stamps cost 24x70p = £16.80. Well done Royal Mail! (Also their service is poorer now than it was then).
I was amazed to see how expensive milk was back then! (Or, if I was a farmer, how cheap it is now).
Very misleading, 3 pints of draught beer 48p in 1969 and £3.67 in 2019. Surely the 2019 price is for 1 pint.
3 pints of draught beer for £3.67?
Please tell me where I can get a pint for £1.23.
Good spot Dave, that’s been updated now. Thanks, Rachel
So what happened to my comment on exactly the same subject, which was posted before I had seen any other posts?
Apologies Philip, comments are not automatically approved so have to be manually checked. I’ve found yours now and approved it. Thanks, Rachel
U can’t even buy a 50p for 50p these days
Well Rachel its seems 50p went a lonngggggg way back them… Well in 1990 while running around playing out 50p would have got me a 10p packet of tangy toms or space raiders a mars bar for like 28p and ice poe for 5p and seven penny sweets as you said preferably Rings… The green and white one yum… No relevance to your research just wanted to share my memories ? have a great day
Not bad for a Pint of Milk. and a Gallon of Petrol O.M.G o well the good days .