Comments on: So I'm not the only one doing it

By: Sybil

Sybil — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 00:23:04 +0000

Tim Ripard:

Do you remember the three-pences , the two shillings coin and the two-and-six?
I remember a time when the last two were made of real silver and were very much in demand. A relative of mine used to make beautiful silver necklaces from these coins, by retaining the leafy designs and removing the rest with special instruments.

By: Sybil

Sybil — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 00:17:46 +0000

I never used that calculator. What I do is work out the difference in my mind. Liri to euros , you multiply by seven and divide by three Euros to Liri, you multiply by three and divide by seven. A practical approximation I think.

By: janine

janine — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 20:07:16 +0000

And I thought I was the only one still calculating in liri. In fact I still run around with that little converter we had received in the mail to help me out.

By: John Schembri

John Schembri — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 18:03:44 +0000

@ Tim Ripard : the farthing(Habba) was specifically minted for Malta in the beginning of the 1900s; it was already out of circulation in the sixties.
In Luqa there was a begger who used to say “tini sitta ha ntik sold” instead of the other way round!

By: Lorna

Lorna — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 16:15:35 +0000

I feel exactly the same. However, I think it’s normal. I compare currency with weight, temperature, mass and volume. When I see a recipe, I understand fully the quantities if there is 500g of something. However, if the quantities are expressed in some other system (imperial, Australian, and so on), I’m rather stumped and would have to convert to fully understand the quantities. Same thing if I had to weigh myself in pounds (truth be told, however, no matter the system I use, I still get a fright!!).

So, I guess independently of the matter, it all boils down to “value”.

By: Tim Ripard

Tim Ripard — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 15:06:53 +0000

I think that Maltese people my age (closing on 50) must have used an absolute record number of different currencies and coinage as legal tender in our lifetimes. We started with the pound sterling which was divided into 20 shillings or 240 ‘old’ pence (and I still remember halfpennies and farthings too), then when the UK went decimal in 1971, although Malta didn’t decimalize at the same time we still used 10 and 5 ‘new pence’ coins. A year later we went decimal and divided our pound (or lira in Maltese) into one hundred cents, each of which was worth 10 mils. A few years later we changed the name of our pound to ‘lira’ though as you say, the terms were used interchangably by most people. However, as Christian said, those of us in the tourist trade were careful to use the words lira/liri when dealing with foreigners. The mils coins were withdrawn from circulation (in 1994 according to Wikipedia) and as we all know the euro came in a year ago. So we’ve used pounds, half-crowns, florins, shillings, sixpences, threepences, pennies, halfpennies, farthings, 5 and 10 New Pence pieces, 2,3 and 5 mils coins, liri, 1, 2, 5, 10, 25, 50 cent and LM1 coins and the euro lot. An incredible variety, I think, for a forty year span.

But, as for ‘thinking in liri’ (or pounds if you will) – it’s simply a case of getting accustomed to euro prices. When I first moved to Vienna 3 years ago I re-calculated prices all the time. Now I only convert prices into liri – in order to appreciate the true value – for things that I rarely buy, consider buying or am interested in, such as cars and houses. I think this is natural because I’ve only bought cars and property in liri so my mind does not automatically appreciate the value of a €123,000 property. I much prefer to regard it as a LM53,000.00 flat. By now you should have reached the stage of knowing the value of a lot of the stuff you buy (or sell) regularly. The price of milk and bread should spring to mind in euros, for example whilst furniture still requires conversion but you’ll get there in time. It just takes practice, or rather usage.

By: Anna

Anna — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 13:21:33 +0000

Further to my previous comment about Joseph Muscat, I do not find anything wrong with him aspiring to find more time to spend with his family. Nothing wrong in that. What I find weird is the fact that he is hoping to do this at the expense of the whole country having a boring year rather than finding the time himself.

[Daphne – He’s egocentric, Anna. Like many only sons of older parents, he thinks the world revolves around his navel and that the sun rises and sets in the seat of his trousers. People who grow up as only children, most particularly when they are boys, which means that the mother dotes even more, experience their crucial formative years in a way that builds their perception of themselves as pivotal to the existence of those around them. Their way of relating to others and to their environment is fundamentally and intrinsically different to that of those who grew up as one of several children. I’d guessed he was an only child even before I asked and had my suspicion confirmed. He is the CLASSIC only boy, a textbook case.]

By: Anna

Anna — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 13:00:15 +0000

I too still find myself mentally converting into Maltese pounds to calculate whether the item is worth buying or not. Daphne, what do you think about Joseph Muscat’s new year resolution, published yesterday in The Sunday Times? Please do give us your comments about it because I for one think it is way out of line for a party leader to publicly say that he is hoping that 2009 will be a boring year so that he can spend more time with his family. There is a difference between hoping secretly for something like that and expressing it in public….talk about lack of enthusiasm!

[Daphne – I know. One of my sons waved that particular newspaper page in front of my face yesterday morning, laughing in disbelief (he belongs to the age group Joseph Muscat thinks he is going to attract with his ‘youth’). I get the feeling the man has peaked already.]

By: David J Camilleri

David J Camilleri — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 12:18:09 +0000

Hi Daphne,
I did not have that conversion problem (in fact I am one of those 11.5% who voted no in the poll)! I started using the euro in 2005 as I used to travel a lot in Italy and hence buy many things from there. In fact I found it quite annoying when I used to buy from Malta and the shopkeepers used to ask me “in Maltese liri or euros hi?”. I used to ask them “what currency am I paying you with hi, euros or liri?” I assure you that your British friend’s suggestion that “the trick is to just stop, to wipe the ‘old money’ from your mind” will work wonders. If you want to value any item just compare products ‘like with like’ and choose the cheapest or what’s the best for you. You still probably have to buy the required item anyway. I hope that this little bit of advice make you will feel better when when shopping.
May I take this opportunity to wish you and all your readers “A Happy ans Peaceful New Year”.

By: christian

christian — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 11:49:41 +0000

‘Liri’ and ‘Pounds’ confused everyone locals, but mainly British tourists! We, hotel workers, had to make sure we said the right word – Lira / Liri. Thanks to the euro, that’s all over!