Thursday 20 October 2016

The Economy & Currency Fly-Tipping (1970s)


When the pound's value suddenly plummeted in 1972 to its lowest in 170 years and became virtually worthless, people started throwing out all their money. Piles of discarded coins and banknotes littered the streets. Scarfolk's binmen were so overwhelmed that they went on strike, demanding a £4 pay rise.

Despite campaigns to stop currency fly-tipping (see above and below), the government, unable to cope with the mountains of useless sterling, created an ingenious scheme: It advised citizens to hold on to their money and use it instead to trade for basic items such as food and shelter. It even suggested that interim emergency values be attributed to the useless cash. The recommended value for a five pence piece, for example, was five pence.

The only way Britons could earn real money was by making tea and biscuits which were rushed in mass flotillas of little ships to the continent - evoking the evacuation of Dunkirk - where they were sold to Europeans on their tea breaks.


4 comments:

  1. We made a 8ft pyramid out of 50ps it collapsed and killed my baby sister. My parents cremated her using worthless bank notes. I have no teeth

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  2. I also have no teeth

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  3. I saved money by not going to the dentist and replacing rotten/shattered teeth with molten forged coins.
    Marc Bolan seems to have become by the spirit of Miriam Margoyles and Eleanor Bron.
    That's what happens when you sniff hard currency Marc. Serves him right. He should of stuck to the cocaine and heroin.

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