‘Copper coins are crucial for seaside towns – but if we don't use them, we’ll lose them,' says Ron Delnevo
Ron Delnevo, Chair of the Payment Choice Alliance says if people don't use copper coins, they could lose them
GETTY | RON DELNEVO
There has always been an outcry from the British public when there has been even the slightest suggestion that coins of the realm will be phased out to facilitate the imposition of a “cashless” UK.
This public reaction is hardly surprising.
After all, British coins have been in circulation for over 2000 years - even before Julius Caesar came to our Small Island on a brief holiday!
With retailers now generally price pointing to 95p rather than 99p, there is no doubt that daily uses for 1p and 2p copper coins have reduced.
However, when it’s time to hit the seaside - looking for fun for all the family - copper coins suddenly become far more important.
In fact, many seaside amusement venues are still called “Penny Arcades”.
Many seaside amusement venues are still called “Penny Arcades”
GETTY
In those arcades, no one wants to miss out on the innocent - and cheap - fun of using a “coin pusher” machine, letting you cleverly drop in your 1p and 2p coins, to try to push higher-value coins into the winner's payout trough.
There are tens of thousands of such machines around the UK. This game is so popular that for the last 12 years, Tipping Point, a TV programmebased on the “coin pusher”, has attracted millions of happy viewers each week.
Whether you are at the seaside or any other holiday spot, everyone still inevitably finds the famous Penny Press Machines, which convert the humble 1P into a memento of Brighton Pier, the Tower of London or Edinburgh Castle, or one of tens of thousands of other tourists attractions, the length and breadth of the UK.
And while the kids are laughing through their holidays, they are also learning about the value of cash as they spend their pennies wherever they can - almost everyseaside ice cream kiosk is delighted to accept all coins offered, including the 1p and 2p copper variety.
And, despite the fact the Treasury placed no new orders for copper coins this year, there is no shortage of such coins in Britain.
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There are currently billions of 1p and 2p coins in stock at cash management companies, awaiting demand from the public to use them!
So the message about copper coins, to everyone heading for the seaside this Summer?
Use them or lose them.
There are plenty around for now - but there won’t be forever if you don’t take them on holiday with you!