THE SHOPS • THE COUNTER • THE WEEKLY SHOP
A basketful
of memories.
Come down the shops. Bring your old money.
The everyday things are often the ones that take us straight back: the weight of a shopping bag, the coins counted out, the familiar person behind the counter. Explore the money and a real historical price comparison below.
TRY THE HISTORICAL SHOPPING BASKET
Same basket. Two moments in time.
Change the quantities to compare 16 June 1970 with 16 October 1973.
UK average retail prices from a parliamentary answer, published 23 November 1973. These are national context for Hessle Road memories, not verified prices from a Hessle Road shop. Both columns use decimal pence, including the converted 1970 figures.
| In your basket | 1970 | 1973 | Quantity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sliced white loaf1¾ lb wrapped loaf | 9.0p | 11.3p | |
| Ordinary milk1 pint | 4.6p | 5.5p | |
| Large eggs1 dozen | 22.1p | 44.2p | |
| Granulated sugar2 lb bag | 7.4p | 10.2p | |
| Tea · medium priced¼ lb packet | 7.8p | 8.3p |
UK Parliament · Food Prices, 23 November 1973 ↗. This selected basket is not a measure of all food inflation and does not adjust for wages or purchasing power.
CAN YOU STILL RECKON IN £ s d?
Twenty shillings.
Two hundred and forty pennies.
Before Decimal Day on 15 February 1971, £1 contained 20 shillings, each worth 12 old pence. A sixpence was 6d; a half-crown was 2s 6d.
This is a currency conversion, not today’s buying power. The Royal Mint · decimalisation ↗The receipt is part of the story.
A dated receipt can tell us the shop’s name, its address, a product and a price. A remembered price is valuable too, but we will label it as a memory until it can be checked.
What to send with an old price
- A clear picture of the whole receipt or advert.
- The shop name and address, if known.
- The date and the amount or weight being sold.
- Who owns the original, and permission to publish.
A GROWING COMMUNITY ARCHIVE
Your road.
Your stories. Our future.
New content is added to HessleRoad.com every week. Keep coming back for more memories, photographs and discoveries — and help us decide what comes next.
Heritage that gives back.
HessleRoad.com is part of Hull Creative Skills and Heritage CIC. Profits from merchandise sales are put back into the community and community projects.
Explore our heritage gifts ↗