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.