True that. From day to day I hardly ever use cash these days. A lot of the time I don’t even bother taking my wallet with me to work, because I know that any expense I am likely to incur, I can pay using my phone. In the event that I did need cash I could obtain it from an ATM using an emergency cash code from my banking app, but 95% of the time, my phone and maybe a debit card will cover me.
Other countries have ditched cash to an even greater degree. When I spent a week in Iceland last year there wasn’t a single occasion when I needed to use cash.
Canada:
George VI died in February 1952. Coins continued to be minted throughout 1952 with George VI on them. Elizabeth II started appearing in 1953.
Edward VII died in 1910 - coins with his image continued to be minted in 1910.
George V died in early 1936 - coins with his image continued to be minted throughout 1936. New dies weren’t ready for the George VI coins of 1937 (after Edward VIII abdicated late in the year) - I assume dies were ready for Edward VIII. The 1c, 10c, and 25c coins minted early in 1937 had a small dot next to the date - using the 1936 dies. These were either poor dies, or else the dots wore off quickly, since all three coins are reasonably rare.
Canadian coins have always had the Sovereign’s name in Latin (with “Rex” or “Regina” - indicating “King” or “Queen”), and “Dei Gratia”, or “D.G.” (by the grace of God). Prior to 1948, they also had “Et Ind:Imp” (abbreviation for “and Emperor of India”). Do/did other Empire/Commonwealth countries do the same?
How often did this happen? I usually checked the date on shillings and florins in my change in the 80s and early 90s, and I never ever saw a George V one, or a pre 1948 George VI one.
To nitpick though, nearly all the coins from the first 30 years of her reign have been withdrawn - there may be a few bronze “one new penny” and “two new pennies” coins from the 70s around but I think the policy has been to withdraw them. The 20p coin, which seemed amazingly innovative when it first came out in 1982, is often the oldest coin you’ll have.
The size and weight of all the silver coins has changed (reduced) in recent years and that has necessitated withdrawing all shillings and two shilling pieces.
I think the point is that the change in coin designs has accelerated the withdrawal from circulation of older coins. But that’s a one-off; unless coin designs are changed again Eliz II coins of the current design may circulate in significant numbers for decades into the reign(s) of her successor(s).
Very rarely. But I remember being told which were the silver ones and keeping them. Probably only ever one or two. I expect I’ve still got them somewhere in a box…
The last sixpence I saw in Vic.Aus was in 1975. (decimalisation was, I thing 1056) Not that I was particularly looking, and I didn’t use money from one week to the next. It might have been a George – A lot of them were.
I’m think they all got stamps. Aus/British stamps used to have the portrait of the monarch. And, back in the day, a stamp was something you noticed – not like a coin or a banknote.