Who remembers and used.

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I still own a chip pan and use it quite a lot, don’t like electric ones as they are hard to clean properly, Top tip put the chips in when the oil is cold you get lovely chips and avoid the danger of putting cold wet chips into very hot oil.
 
This!
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What did you own or use back in the day that the youth of today wouldn't believe existed if you told them today.


Who remembers these public phones, if i remember right you put your 2p in pressed A dialled the number then when someone answered pressed B.



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Hi Chippy - Yes I remember using that style of Public Telephone Box.
I'm surprised no-one has said that they didn't take the 2p coin until decimalisatioin in 1971 (see below).
Prior to that:

Costs of calls from British public phones mid-20th century
Local calls

For local calls from a public phone, only pennies were needed. They were of course 'old' pre-decimal pennies.


Once the handset was lifted from its cradle, the coins were fed into a holding slot at the top of the box. Then the caller dialled the number that he or she wanted. If someone answered, the caller had to press Button A in order to be heard. If no-one answered, or it was a wrong number the caller pressed Button B and the coins were returned through a shoot underneath.



Guest contributions
As one born in 1943 I can say that in 1950 public phone calls cost two old pennies (2d) without a time limit. Eventually this rose to 4d, still untimed. Timing came in around 1960 when I was courting, and the cost was initially 3d for 3 minutes. Slots were then provided for 3d pieces and 6d bits. Some rural box’s had yet to be changed.
Colin Benbow


UK public phone box from the mid 1900s - bright red


Public phone box



In 1951 the cost of a local call up to 5 miles was three old pennies (3d). These calls were not timed on A/B boxes. Then price increased to four pennies (4d) on the first of January 1957 and later that year the distance for 4d was increased to 15 miles.
Ian Jolly, one-time telephone engineer


In the late 1960s and early 1970s 4d (1.67p) was the minimum charge for a local call.
I believe the cost went to 2p when we were decimalised in 1971. However the 2p coin was the same size and weight as the old halfpenny and a lot of phones as well as slot machines would accept both coins - which made calls and purchases cheaper!
 
Does anyone remember the old Canon gas fires they had settings which ranged from "miser rate" to "superheat"
They were the boys athumb..
 
Or the old superser. I'm actually looking for a half decent second hand one for sitting out in the garage

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