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Photos of Wigan
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Wigan Album

owd money

4 Comments

Owd Money 1
Owd Money 1
Photo: dk
Views: 3,292
Item #: 4867
My Grandad was born in 1909, three years younger than the oldest penny here.
He was a miner at fourteen and suffered a tragic accident underground in mid life
which resulted in the amputation of his right arm. He died in 1971.
I think that he was fairly well known in Higher Ince as a chap who did photography and
this photo is one of a series of close ups that, I fancy, were taken as an exercise
and I am sure that the legacy of historic interest it provides was never in mind.

It is inscribed "hand and coins" and dated 1948. The image is printed to a glass positive
for projection - for those of a technical nature:
f16 for 2 secs in daylight, verichrome, E, autorange. Not bad going for an amateur.

I don't know what you could buy with this stash of coins in 1948
but going by the shape of the worn penny on the left it looks as
though it's been shoved across a few pub counters in its time.

The newspaper is almost as fascinating as the coins. And, by reading the cricket results
it's possible to be even more accurate about the date.
The Gentlemen versus Players match took place on 14th, 15th and 16th July 1948 at Lords
and judging the paper as a daily paper, and the Daily Herald
if the photographer was true to form, it would be the 16th as the Players'
second innings is not shown and hiding under the little finger is
the Gentlemen's overnight score. source - www.cricketarchive.co.uk - but if you just
want to know a certain L Hutton opened up in the second innings for the Players and
ended it some 49 overs later 132no to win by 7 wickets with some authority
and, I imagine, a certain swagger.

The man's hand is a pitman's hand and if the resolution allows you can see
the coal dirt ingrained in his fingers.

They were big them old pennies!

Comment by: dave marsh on 7th February 2008 at 12:26

There's just over half a crown there dk and that was a good half days wages for many.Your grandad may have thought, someone will be interested in these everyday objects sometime in the future ,and he was right.

Comment by: jim holding on 7th February 2008 at 23:22

boy,s am getting all nostalgic,,,just completed 40yrs wedded bliss?...and can remember well calling in Jack,s Chippey in Goose Green for my dinner on sat after working ,,for a mixture and a fish,,always remember a National Assoc Fishfryers sign,,,,say showing said meal with the words "The Big Fish Dish" for less than half a crown,,,,it cost 2s 3d...approx 10p in today money,,,that was back in 1968,,,,,what you actually got dk is two an sixpence halfpenny,,,which am sure you know,,,,

Comment by: Frank Healy on 8th February 2008 at 14:08

Gentlemen v Players. Class distinction (in sport) at its worst?

Comment by: tom saunders on 12th November 2008 at 18:40

As a 14 year old boy , just left school, I earned £1 5 0 shillings. I had to hand over one pound to my parents for keep; and the 5 shillings must have bough me a few packs of cigarettes. But thats how it was in those days.

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