Pound coin was introduced 30 years ago

As the humble £1 coin hits turns 30, we look at what it could have bought you back in 1983 - and what it will get you today.

The pound coin was introduced 30 years ago on April 21st 1983.

These days, there are more than 1.5 billion coins in circulation and it’s estimated that around 2.9% are forgeries!

So what could you have bought with a brand new pound coin in 1983?

In 1983, you could have bought:

20 cigarettes

6lbs of frozen chicken

Three loaves of sliced white bread

2.77 litres of petrol

Two pints of London Pride beer

I’m particularly impressed that you could buy a packet of 20 cigarettes for a pound back in ’83. These days, the price is more like £8.

Let’s look at what you can get for a pound these days:

One hour in a car park

One bottle of water from a vending machine

Five trips to a public toilet in London

Three cans of diet coke from Poundland

0.72 litres of petrol

Source: Poundland

Clearly we’ve had to endure a lot of inflation over the last 30 years, and you can’t buy much for a pound in 2013, unless you visit your local pound shop anyway!

That said, when you visit a pound shop, don’t assume that everything is a bargain. For example, a pack of chewing gum can be quite expensive at £1, so you may be better off buying your gum at a supermarket or even at a local corner shop.

You may also find that some products are in smaller sizes than you’d normally find in shops.

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