Here's another rewrite of the currency and prices thing - hope this time people are happier with it.
Adventurers will often want to buy things, and may even want to work for a living if they can't find alternatives. Most of the Forgotten Futures worldbooks include prices for items that might come up the course of play, and construction rules for items such as flying machines, spacecraft, and automata which suggest purchase prices. This section (expanded from material in FF II) explains the complexities of British currency, and gives real-world wages and prices for everyday items from around 1900, a period of relative stability and little inflation; they should be adjusted up for later periods, down for earlier settings. For simplicity add 5% in 1906-10, 10% in 1911-15, 15% in 1916-20, and so forth.
British currency is based on a gold standard until 1914, and from 1925 to 1931. Until metrication in 1972 the Pound Sterling (£ or occasionally L) is divided into 20 shillings (s), each worth 12 pence (d). This form of currency is used in most British scientific romances. Occasional references to "LSD" in period fiction refer to money, not drugs!
Confusingly the Guinea (gn), worth 21 shillings, is used for legal and other professional fees, and by the most expensive shops. There were no coins or notes for this amount after 1813, but prices are often given in Guineas, and cheques can be written for Guineas. A half Guinea (10s 6d) is also occasionally used for smaller fees.
Reading PricesThere is very little standardisation of the way prices are written; For example:
- £2 6s 6½d = Two pounds, six shillings and sixpence-ha'penny
- 2s 6d or 2/6 = Two shillings and sixpence = half a crown
- 19/11 = 19s 11d = Nineteen shillings and eleven pence
- 10/6 = 10s 6d
- 25s = £1 5s
- Half a guinea = 10s 6d
- 5gn = 5 guineas = £5 5s
- 5½gn = 5½ guineas = £5 15s 6d
More details of Britain's currency are in the table below. There are spreadsheet templates for conversion between these units and the modern decimal currency on the Forgotten Futures site and the FF CD-ROM.
Currency |
| One Pound | = 20 shillings |
| = 240 pence |
| One Shilling | = 12 pence |
| Copper Coins |
| ¼d | farthing |
| ½d | ha'penny |
| 1d | penny |
| Silver Coins |
| 3d | Threepenny bit or "Joey" 1 |
| 6d | Sixpence or "tanner" |
| 1s | Shilling or "Bob" |
| 2s | Florin, "Two Bob" |
| 2s 6d | Half Crown |
| 5s (uncommon) | Crown |
| Gold Coins 2 |
| 10s (rare) | Half sovereign, "Ten Bob" |
| £1 | Sovereign, "Quid" |
| Bank Notes 3 |
| £5 (very rare) | "Fiver" |
| 1Replaced by bronze coin 1937-41 |
| 2Ceased to be legal tender in the 1920s |
| 3Higher values VERY rare. 10s and £1 notes introduced 1914 |
| |
| Wages |
| Housemaid | £12-30 per year |
| Cook/Housekeeper | £80 per year |
| Page boy | £10 per year |
| Butler | Up to £100 per year |
| Skilled engineer | 36s 6d per week |
| Assistant to above | 19s per week |
| Bricklayer | 38s per week |
| Assistant to above | 18s per week |
| Clerk | £1 10s per week |
| Foreman | £2 5s per week |
| Miner | £1 15s per week |
| Craftsman in London | £2 per week |
| Cabinet minister | £2000 or £5000 per year |
| (£38 or £96 per week) |
| Income tax | 4% |
| |
Housing |
| Hovel | 4s per week |
| 4 room rural cottage | 5s per week, £200 to buy |
| Small inner London house | £200 per year, £1000 to buy |
| Small suburban house | £50 per year, £500 to buy |
| Boarding house room | £1 1s per week |
| |
Men's Clothing |
| Shirt | 3s-5s |
| Collars for above (12) | 6s 6d |
| Detachable cuffs | 1s |
| Leather gloves | 3s 3d |
| Handkerchiefs (12) | 8s |
| Underwear | 5s |
| Good quality boots | 11s |
| Light boots | 7s |
| Walking shoes | 14s |
| Trousers | 7s 6d |
| Bowler hat | 12s 6d |
| Top hat | 25s |
| Soft felt hat | 7s 6d |
| Hat box, leather | 15s |
| |
Women's Clothing |
| Camisole | 3s |
| Chemises | 7s |
| Combinations | 5s 6d |
| Nightdress | 6s |
| Skirt | 10s |
| Stockings | 6 ½d |
| Shoes | 12s-£1 8s |
| Blouse | £1 5s 11d | | | Transportation |
| Bicycle | £10 |
| Pony | £8 |
| Railway fare | 1d / mile |
| Omnibus | 5d (long trip) |
| Family car | £200 |
| |
Food & Drink |
| 1 lb Almonds | 2d |
| 1/2 lb tea | 8d |
| 2lb sugar | 5d |
| 1 lb butter | 1s |
| 2 oz tobacco | 6d |
| 1 lb fish | 1 ½d |
| 1 lb ham | 9 ½d |
| 1 lb steak | 11d |
| Marmite, 2oz | 7d |
| Bovril, 4oz | 1s 10d |
| 1 lb chocolate | 1s 2d |
| 1 lb soap | 3d |
| 1 lb currants | 3d |
| Pint beer | 2d |
| 1 lb Biscuits | 2d |
| Loaf bread | 2 ¼d |
| 12 Bottles Cider | 14s |
| 12 Bottles Champagne | £4 18s |
| 12 Bottles Claret | £2 10s |
| 12 Bottles Port | £1 14s |
| 12 Bottles Sherry | £2 2s |
| Bottle Whisky | 7s |
| Bottle Brandy | 9s 10d |
| Bottle Gin | 4s 6d |
| Bottle Rum | 7s 6d |
| |
Miscellaneous |
| Electricity | 6d per unit (kilowatt-hour) * |
| * rate held high to protect small generating companies |
| 1 lb Candles | 10d |
| Safety matches, box | 1d |
| "Thermos" Vacuum flask | £1 1s pint, £1 15s quart ** |
| ** both leather with silver fittings |
| Chest of drawers | 17s |
| Simple bed | £1 15s |
| Luxury bed | £19 |
| Piano, upright | £105 |
| Piano, grand | £210 |
| Violin | £2 10s |
| Kodak cameras | £1 to £8 7s 6d |
| Flash for camera | 12s 6d *** |
| *** uses explosive magnesium flash powder |
| Cricket bat | 12s 10d |
| Golf clubs | 6s |
| Golf balls | 10s per dozen |
| Watch, good quality | £10 |
| Watch, for schoolboy | 12s |
| Sewing machine | £1 10s |
| Stamp (letter) | 1d |
| Telegram, max 12 words | 6d - extra words ½d |
| The Daily Mail | 1d |
| The Times | 2d |
| Tooth extraction | 1s |
| Set false teeth | 1 gn. |
| Alarm clock | 4s 6d |
| Microscope | £1 15s |
| Opera Glasses | 5s |
| Goldfish | 3d |
| |
Toys and Games |
| Teddy bear | 4s 3d - 18s 6d |
| "Dribble" beer mug | 2s 9d |
| Air pistol with six darts | 1s 10½d |
| "Banger" firework | 1d |
| Catherine wheel firework | 8d |
| Pocket grease paint kit | 3s 4½d |
|
