colly0410 1,181 Posted May 9, 2013 Report Share Posted May 9, 2013 I remember traipsing rounds the shops when I was a kid in the 60's living in the Meadows asking if they'd got any shilling (5 pence) coins for the gas & electric, & 2 shilling (10 pence) coins for the telly, often they'd say they didn't have any, but you knew they did. Sometimes we'd be sat in the dark until we found a bob for the electric or have a perfectly good telly we couldn't watch because we couldn't find a 2 bob. Glad we don't do that now... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Beefsteak 305 Posted May 9, 2013 Report Share Posted May 9, 2013 I used to love it when the 'meter man' came and poured all the coins on the table, then counted them really quickly, filling his hands and stacking them up in front of us amazed kids. Then the man would take his share and give Mum and Dad their 'rebate' (never a fortune IMMSC) My Mum would always leave a couple of 'bobs' on top of the meter 'for emergencies' , so we never had the problem of scouring the neighbourhood for shillings, (until the day 'someone' discovered that you could take one of these bob things and buy sweets from the corner shop with them. (My bums still sore!!) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Cliff Ton 10,435 Posted May 9, 2013 Report Share Posted May 9, 2013 I used to love it when the 'meter man' came and poured all the coins on the table, then counted them really quickly, filling his hands and stacking them up I remember that. The particular bit that fascinated me was the way he counted the coins. He'd start by piling them up on the kitchen table, and then to count them he'd flick/drag each one with his finger into a small bag in his other hand. And it was speed he did that which was impressive. For a long time when I was a kid, I wanted to be a meter man because it looked glamorous and cool. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dgbrit 258 Posted May 9, 2013 Report Share Posted May 9, 2013 This all seem a bit pathetic to me , Work all week & cant afford electric Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Paulus 541 Posted May 9, 2013 Report Share Posted May 9, 2013 Our gas meter took old pennies! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MELTONSTILTON 452 Posted May 9, 2013 Report Share Posted May 9, 2013 2 Shillings (10 pence) coins for the telly, That is something I had forgotten about untill now... That is one good thing about this forum, from time to time it jogs my memory Quote Link to post Share on other sites
colly0410 1,181 Posted May 9, 2013 Author Report Share Posted May 9, 2013 This all seem a bit pathetic to me , Work all week & cant afford electric Always seemed to have enough money, just the wrong coins, I was usually traipsing round with a half crown or 10 bob note. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MELTONSTILTON 452 Posted May 9, 2013 Report Share Posted May 9, 2013 When staying in the Hotel Hamburg in Berlin in the 1980's, they had coin operated showers, it cost 1 DM for a hot shower, a cold shower was free.. I also came across them in South Africa, and Sudan............... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
NewBasfordlad 3,599 Posted May 9, 2013 Report Share Posted May 9, 2013 It was old style pennies for our gas meter, this would be in the late 50s. When the meter man called he would spread them over the kitchen table, quickly count them into 24s (2 bob) and make them into rolls by wrapping them with stiff paper. Colin Quote Link to post Share on other sites
colly0410 1,181 Posted May 9, 2013 Author Report Share Posted May 9, 2013 Stayed on a caravan site at Brean Somerset a few years ago, it was 20p coin for a shower, £1 for a bath, £2 for the washer, 50p for tumble dryer, you needed a pocket full of coins. It was £1-25 a day for electric but that was not metered. Oh yeah the iron was free... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
carni 10,094 Posted May 9, 2013 Report Share Posted May 9, 2013 We used to have a filed down one side coin,i think it was a halfpenny to use for the meter when money was scarce it always came back in the rebate and a blind eye was turned it was done by most people round our way. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
piggy and babs 544 Posted May 9, 2013 Report Share Posted May 9, 2013 and were was moses when the light went out in the st looking for a bob remember people saying that Quote Link to post Share on other sites
carni 10,094 Posted May 9, 2013 Report Share Posted May 9, 2013 Do you know Piggy and Babs i had forgotten that one ,you made me smile i can hear my mam saying it now,well i wish i could,and my mammar come to think off it,thanks for that miducks. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
piggy and babs 544 Posted May 10, 2013 Report Share Posted May 10, 2013 glad i made you smile carnie dose anyone else remember or was it just or prhaps just carlton netherfield and gedling area. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
loppylugs 8,424 Posted May 10, 2013 Report Share Posted May 10, 2013 I always remember being at the cinema and when the film broke down the shouts of "purra bob in." Quote Link to post Share on other sites
piggy and babs 544 Posted May 10, 2013 Report Share Posted May 10, 2013 another blast from the past there loppy Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Cliff Ton 10,435 Posted May 10, 2013 Report Share Posted May 10, 2013 and were was moses when the light went out in the st looking for a bob I remember a variation on that from my grandma........Where was Moses when the light went out, down in the cellar with his shirt hanging out. God, they talked some rubbish in those days. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Beefsteak 305 Posted May 10, 2013 Report Share Posted May 10, 2013 When staying in the Hotel Hamburg in Berlin in the 1980's, they had coin operated showers, it cost 1 DM for a hot shower, a cold shower was free.. I also came across them in South Africa, and Sudan............... IMMSC an old bob was the same size as a DM and worth about a quarter of one? When we went there in 1979 it was about 60p for 20 fags over here or 5p in a vending machine in Munich. Fortunately we had been tipped (can you see what I did there?) off and we all went with as many 5ps as we could gather, then came back with a few hundred fags each ! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
colly0410 1,181 Posted May 10, 2013 Author Report Share Posted May 10, 2013 When I was based in Munster-lager in Germany (late 70's) we were threatened with big trouble if we fed 5p's into the jukebox in the Naafi, mind you some naughty soldiers did it with civvy fag machines, not me though I never smoked.. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
denshaw 2,869 Posted May 10, 2013 Report Share Posted May 10, 2013 We used to call the old 5p English Marks, in Germany they used to work in cig, chocolate machines and phone boxes. (so i was told) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MELTONSTILTON 452 Posted May 10, 2013 Report Share Posted May 10, 2013 We used to call the old 5p English Marks, in Germany they used to work in cig, chocolate machines and phone boxes. (so i was told) I did the same but I was too ashamed to say it in my post Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mick2me 3,033 Posted May 10, 2013 Report Share Posted May 10, 2013 When I worked building Broad Marsh Coop in 1974, the German Shopfitters scrounged everyone's 5p's. Thats why then Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Compo 10,326 Posted May 27, 2013 Report Share Posted May 27, 2013 There was a coffee machine in Plessey, Beeston, that took 5p coins. It was discovered that if you used a lead 5p you could get your coffee and a sharp tap on the front of the coin slot at the correct moment would return your lead coin too Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Enigma. 1,533 Posted May 28, 2013 Report Share Posted May 28, 2013 a couple of converted coin operated gas meters Quote Link to post Share on other sites
carni 10,094 Posted May 28, 2013 Report Share Posted May 28, 2013 The second meter is the one we had in our house do you know when they stopped being used. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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