Hot Millions 1968 British movie with Decimal Pound 50 New Pence newspaper article
WillieBoyd2
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"Hot Millions" is a 1968 British crime caper comedy. Marcus Pendleton (Peter Ustinov) is released from prison, passes himself off as a computer expert named Caesar Smith, is hired by the London office of a large American company, and uses computers to send company checks to fictitious businesses.
Early in the film Marcus reads a newspaper article mentioning computers.
Newspaper article from the film
A newspaper page with two articles appears. One article is titled "A Computer Magnate Lord Chivas Austin to Bermuda today" and the other article is titled "Seven-sided c[oins] replace 10s n[otes]"
The Lord Chivas Austin article is fictional but the second article about the coins is real.
The first part of the text of the coins article:
The first seven-sided coin in the world will go into circulation in Britain in October, 1969 to replace the 10s [shillings] note. Its denomination will be 50 new pence. Made of cupro nickel, this "silver" coin will have a diameter of 30 millimetres and weigh 13 1/2 grams, putting it about midway in size and weight between a 2s [two shilling] piece and a half-crown [2-1/2 shillings].
Mr. H. G. Conway, a director of Rolls-Royce and a member of the Decimal Currency Board, put forward the idea of using this shape which is called an "equilateral curve heptagon." It has a constant diameter and will roll, making it suitable for coin-operated machines.
The 50 new pence coins were eventually minted from 1969 to 1981 to the specifications in the article.
Britain 50 New Pence 1981
Copper-nickel, 30.0 mm, 13.5 gm
There are also Italian coins in the film, "some with birds and some with trees on 'em".
The Mysterious Egyptian Magic Coin
Coins in Movies
Coins on Television
Comments
Prime TV has been airing episodes of the original Avengers series with Patrick Macnee, Honor Blackman, etc. which date to 1961-2, predecimalization. I always liked the pre-decimal LSD system and since a number of these stories involve money there's a real charm hearing conversations about pence, shillings, sovereigns and even guineas. In one episode earlier this week Steed makes a payment in guineas by adding the extra shillings in coin along with pound banknotes.
What fun!
When I was 10 years old, in 1968, we spent a month in England (August-September). The change to decimal coinage was underway. I remember the street arcades where the machines used the large copper pennies. Old ones, even back into the 1800s were everywhere in circulation (well-worn, of course).
One time we took the train from London to Brighton. Brighton is sort of like their version of a beach town. They had several arcades there. And they had slot machines with cash payouts (gambling). There was no minimum age stipulation. I still remember playing slot machines with .500 silver 6-pence coins.
On our trip we brought some 1964 Kennedy half dollars. My older brothers and I went into a candy shop in Brighton and asked what we could get for a 1964 Kennedy Half Dollar. The shop gave us a giant bag full for one coin.