Money, money, money … It was a rich man’s world back then
Continuing on money matters (C8 last week), it seems most C8ers think the guinea is bordering on fraud, where it is used almost exclusively for profit. Mark Berg of Caringbah South says: “I believe the guinea, consisting of £1 and 1s, was used mainly in the auction trade as it included a 5 per cent buyer’s premium for the auction house. I think the buyer’s premium is now much higher. Auctions of horses, art, houses and cars were always held in guineas. Perhaps some of these fancy businesses were charging in guineas to add a markup to their fees.” How cynical we are.
Daniel Flesch from Bellingen thinks: “The current equivalent of last year’s guinea is the practice of dealers advertising items for a few dollars and 99 cents. Fuel prices displayed by servos, together with multiples of retail prices, are a prime example of this.” In other words, anything that will make money.
Nicolas Harrison of Evans Head says: “Nowadays barristers’ robes have a stylized pouch with a ribbon behind the left shoulder. When I started wearing my robes (over 50 years ago) I was told it was a replica of a cloth bag into which the poor punter would throw the guineas he owed. This ensured the barrister could not dirty his hands by handling dirty money.”
Tim Ingall of Scottsdale, Arizona, was upset with the guinea. “Although the guinea was associated with a degree of snobbery, what I remember was that math problems involving multiplying or dividing money using guineas were a pain in the ass. The switch to dollars and cents was a blessing.”
On less financial matters, Roberta Madsen from Gymea Bay answers Michael Fischer’s question about Jock Fraser. “Dad was a great Jock Fraser, a geography and economics teacher at Fort Street Boys, first assistant and then deputy head at Mosman High School. In 1975, during his political conflict, he was headmaster at Bankstown Boys High School and driving the long way to Cremorne.” Col8, who was studying at Mosman High School at the time, remembers Mr. Fraser, known as Fang (behind his back, of course), but now he can’t remember why.
Then let’s go back to similar. Kiama’s Nola Tucker claims: “Surely the most convincing doppelgänger is our Malcolm Fraser. A few years ago we entered the Louvre through a ‘back door’ to be confronted by statues from Easter Island. We were stunned by what must have been a ‘stoniest’ depiction of our Malcolm.” This is fame!”
Column8@smh.com.au
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