|
Until decimalization in 1971,
Britain had a currency system where there were 240 pennies to a pound and
twenty shillings to a pound. A shilling was therefore worth
12 pennies. Pre-decimalization, a sum would
normally be written in Pounds, Shillings, Pence (written
as £ S D). A Guinea was one pound and one
shilling (21 shillings). There was a one pound note and
also a ten shilling note. A "Crown" was 5
shillings but never generally used. They were only minted for special
occasions. A "Half Crown" was 2
shillings and 6 pence. A
"Florin" was 2 shillings and a "Double
Florin" 4 shillings (although this was only minted for four years
from 1886 to 1890 and hardly ever used thereafter). A "Sixpence" was
referred to as a "tanner" in slang and a "Shilling" was
also referred to as a "bob". A three penny coin -
"Threepence" was pronounced "Thrupence"
and two single penny coins making "Twopence"
was pronouced "Tupence". A "Ha'penny"
was half a penny and a "Farthing" was a quarter of a penny. Coins after decimalization
carried the term "New Pence" (removed in 1982) to differentiate
them from old, pre-1971 decimal coins. |
BOOK TITLE |
|
YEAR |
|
ORIGINAL PRICE |
|
OLD PENNIES |
DECIMAL PRICE |
||||||
|
|||||||||||||
KINGS OF SPACE |
|
|
|
1954 |
|
7 shillings and 6 d |
|
90 |
d |
37.5 |
p |
||
RETURN TO MARS |
|
|
|
1955 |
|
7 shillings and 6 d |
|
90 |
d |
37.5 |
p |
||
NOW TO THE STARS |
|
|
|
1956 |
|
7 shillings and 6 d |
|
90 |
d |
37.5 |
p |
||
TO OUTER SPACE |
|
|
|
1957 |
|
8 shillings and 6 d |
|
102 |
d |
42.5 |
p |
||
THE EDGE OF BEYOND |
|
|
1958 |
|
8 shillings and 6 d |
|
102 |
d |
42.5 |
p |
|||
THE DEATH RAYS OF ARDILLA |
|
|
1959 |
|
8 shillings and 6 d |
|
102 |
d |
42.5 |
p |
|||
TO WORLDS UNKNOWN |
|
|
1960 |
|
8 shillings and 6 d |
|
102 |
d |
42.5 |
p |
|||
THE QUEST FOR THE PERFECT PLANET |
|
1961 |
|
8 shillings and 6 d |
|
102 |
d |
42.5 |
p |
||||
WORLDS OF WONDER |
|
|
1962 |
|
9 shillings and 6 d |
|
114 |
d |
47.5 |
p |
|||
THE MAN WHO VANISHED INTO SPACE |
|
1963 |
|
9 shillings and 6 d |
|
114 |
d |
47.5 |
p |
||||
|
|||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||
WORRALS OF THE W.A.A.F. |
|
|
1941 |
|
3 shillings and 6 d |
|
42 |
d |
17.5 |
p |
|||
WORRALS CARRIES ON |
|
|
1942 |
|
4 shillings and 6 d |
|
54 |
d |
22.5 |
p |
|||
WORRALS FLIES AGAIN |
|
|
1942 |
|
5 shillings and 0 d |
|
60 |
d |
25 |
p |
|||
WORRALS ON THE WAR-PATH |
|
|
1943 |
|
5 shillings and 0 d |
|
60 |
d |
25 |
p |
|||
WORRALS GOES EAST |
|
|
1944 |
|
5 shillings and 0 d |
|
60 |
d |
25 |
p |
|||
WORRALS OF THE ISLANDS |
|
|
1945 |
|
6 shillings and 0 d |
|
72 |
d |
30 |
p |
|||
WORRALS IN THE WILDS |
|
|
1947 |
|
6 shillings and 0 d |
|
72 |
d |
30 |
p |
|||
WORRALS DOWN UNDER |
|
|
1948 |
|
7 shillings and 6 d |
|
90 |
d |
37.5 |
p |
|||
WORRALS IN THE WASTELANDS |
|
|
1949 |
|
7 shillings and 6 d |
|
90 |
d |
37.5 |
p |
|||
WORRALS GOES AFOOT |
|
1949 |
|
6 shillings and 0 d |
|
72 |
d |
30 |
p |
||||
WORRALS INVESTIGATES |
|
|
1950 |
|
6 shillings and 0 d |
|
72 |
d |
30 |
p |
|||
|
|||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||
KING OF THE COMMANDOS |
|
|
|
1943 |
|
5 shillings and 0 d |
|
60 |
d |
25 |
p |
||
GIMLET GOES AGAIN |
|
|
|
1944 |
|
5 shillings and 0 d |
|
60 |
d |
25 |
p |
||
GIMLET COMES HOME |
|
|
|
1946 |
|
6 shillings and 0 d |
|
72 |
d |
30 |
p |
||
GIMLET MOPS UP |
|
|
|
1947 |
|
6 shillings and 0 d |
|
72 |
d |
30 |
p |
||
GIMLET'S ORIENTAL QUEST |
|
|
1948 |
|
6 shillings and 0 d |
|
72 |
d |
30 |
p |
|||
GIMLET LENDS A HAND |
|
|
1949 |
|
6 shillings and 0 d |
|
72 |
d |
30 |
p |
|||
GIMLET BORES IN |
|
|
|
1950 |
|
6 shillings and 0 d |
|
72 |
d |
30 |
p |
||
GIMLET OFF THE MAP |
|
|
1951 |
|
6 shillings and 6 d |
|
78 |
d |
32.5 |
p |
|||
GIMLET GETS THE ANSWER |
|
|
1952 |
|
6 shillings and 6 d |
|
78 |
d |
32.5 |
p |
|||
GIMLET TAKES A JOB |
|
|
1954 |
|
6 shillings and 6 d |
|
78 |
d |
32.5 |
p |
|||
|
|||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||
MOSSYFACE |
|
|
|
1922 |
|
6d |
|
6 |
d |
2.5 |
p |
||
THE SPYFLYERS |
|
|
|
1933 |
|
3 shillings and 6 d |
|
42 |
d |
17.5 |
p |
||
THE RAID |
|
|
|
1935 |
|
3 shillings and 6 d |
|
42 |
d |
17.5 |
p |
||
BLUE BLOOD RUNS RED |
|
|
|
1936 |
|
7 shillings and 6 d |
|
90 |
d |
37.5 |
p |
||
DESERT NIGHT |
|
|
|
1938 |
|
7 shillings and 6 d |
|
90 |
d |
37.5 |
p |
||
THE UNKNOWN QUANTITY |
|
|
|
1940 |
|
7 shillings and 6 d |
|
90 |
d |
37.5 |
p |
||
SHORT SORTIES |
|
|
|
1950 |
|
7 shillings and 6 d |
|
90 |
d |
37.5 |
p |
||
DR. VANE ANSWERS THE CALL |
|
|
1950 |
|
6 shillings and 0 d |
|
72 |
d |
30 |
p |
|||
SKY FEVER |
|
|
|
1953 |
|
7 shillings and 6 d |
|
90 |
d |
37.5 |
p |
||
NO MOTIVE FOR MURDER |
|
|
|
1958 |
|
12 shillings and 6 d |
|
150 |
d |
62.5 |
p |
||
NO MOTIVE FOR MURDER (US Version) |
1958 |
$2.95 (In 1959 £1 = $2.80) |
253 |
d |
105 |
p |
|||||||
THE MAN WHO LOST HIS WAY |
|
|
1960 |
|
10 shillings and 6 d |
|
126 |
d |
52.5 |
p |
|||
WINGED JUSTICE |
|
|
|
2001 |
|
|
£19.50 |
|
|
|
1950 |
p |
|
|
|||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||
CHAMPION OF THE MAIN |
|
|
1938 |
|
5 shillings and 0 d |
|
60 |
d |
25 |
p |
|||
SINISTER SERVICE |
|
|
|
1942 |
|
5 shillings and 0 d |
|
60 |
d |
25 |
p |
||
COMRADES IN ARMS |
|
|
1947 |
|
6 shillings and 0 d |
|
72 |
d |
30 |
p |
|||
RUSTLERS OF RATTLESNAKE VALLEY |
|
1948 |
|
7 shillings and 6 d |
|
90 |
d |
37.5 |
p |
||||
ADVENTURE BOUND |
|
|
1955 |
|
2 shillings and 6 d |
|
30 |
d |
12.5 |
p |
|||
ADVENTURE UNLIMITED |
|
|
1957 |
|
2 shillings and 6 d |
|
30 |
d |
12.5 |
p |
|||
WHERE THE GOLDEN EAGLE SOARS |
|
|
1960 |
|
12 shillings and 6 d |
|
150 |
d |
62.5 |
p |
|||
THE ADVENTURES OF THE JUNIOR DETECTION CLUB |
1960 |
|
10 shillings and 6 d |
|
126 |
d |
52.5 |
p |
|||||
|
|||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||
THE PICTORIAL FLYING COURSE |
|
|
1932 |
|
5 shillings and 0 d |
|
60 |
d |
25 |
p |
|||
FIGHTING PLANES AND ACES |
|
|
1932 |
|
5 shillings and 0 d |
|
60 |
d |
25 |
p |
|||
THE AIR V.C.'s |
|
|
|
1935 |
|
3 shillings and 6 d |
|
42 |
d |
17.5 |
p |
||
SOME MILESTONES OF AVIATION |
|
|
1935 |
|
3 shillings and 6 d |
|
42 |
d |
17.5 |
p |
|||
THE PASSING SHOW |
|
|
1937 |
|
5 shillings and 0 d |
|
60 |
d |
25 |
p |
|||
THE MODERN BOY'S BOOK OF PIRATES |
|
1939 |
|
5 shillings and 0 d |
|
60 |
d |
25 |
p |
||||
THE BIGGLES BOOK OF HEROES |
|
1959 |
|
10 shillings and 6 d |
|
126 |
d |
52.5 |
p |
||||
THE BIGGLES BOOK OF TREASURE HUNTING |
|
1962 |
|
11 shillings and 6 d |
|
138 |
d |
57.5 |
p |
||||
|
|||||||||||||
SKY HIGH |
|
|
|
|
1936 |
|
3 shillings and 6 d |
|
42 |
d |
17.5 |
p |
|
STEELEY FLIES AGAIN |
|
|
|
1936 |
|
3 shillings and 6 d |
|
42 |
d |
17.5 |
p |
||
MURDER BY AIR |
|
|
|
1937 |
|
3 shillings and 6 d |
|
42 |
d |
17.5 |
p |
||
THE MURDER AT CASTLE DEEPING |
|
|
1938 |
|
3 shillings and 6 d |
|
42 |
d |
17.5 |
p |
|||
WINGS OF ROMANCE |
|
|
|
1939 |
|
3 shillings and 6 d |
|
42 |
d |
17.5 |
p |
||
THE MISSING PAGE - In "The Thriller" - issue no 454
- 16th Oct |
1937 |
|
2d |
|
2 |
d |
0.8 |
p |
|||||
This list has been compiled from my own collection and information
from other collectors as well as original advertisements.
It will be helpful in determining whether a particular book has a
first edition dust wrapper.
It is interesting to note that an entire set of first edition NON
Biggles books could have been bought for a total of £20 pounds, 18 shillings
and 9d.
If one adds on the price of the all the Biggles books (bearing in
mind that 'Comrades in Arms' is also in this list) then the total payable for a
complete collection of the first editions of W. E. Johns would be £55 pounds 4
shillings and 7d which is less than you pay to fill up your car with petrol
today!
If anybody thinks there are any errors with these prices then
please e-mail me by clicking here
TO SEE THE BIGGLES PRICE LIST
JUST CLICK HERE