5 ms·

You had a coin-operated TV...? At home...? Did someone come regularly to collect the coins? I'm genuinely fascinated by this.

scandox 7y ago
I still know people in Dublin that have coin operated electricity, though I think nearly all of them have been moved to card based systems.
- radicalbyte 7y ago
  They had that in the mainland too. It was something which was forced on poor people and resulted in electricity prices considerably higher than they otherwise would have been. My grandparents were forced to have one. My late grandfather had PTSD from fighting in WWII and could basically never hold down a job or make a good financial decision.
- JackFr 7y ago
  I've been to campsites where the showers are free, but the hot water requires coins. You really want to get your money's worth, but the fear of being lathered up and it going straight cold motivates you to be quick.
Balgair 7y ago
I also remember the coin operated tellys. Yes, every 6 months or there abouts the coiny-telly man would come about to collect the coins. It was a real hassle, as you had to be at your flat all that day. Otherwise, the coiny-telly man would just pass you up. Thing was, the little bin that the coins fell into would fill up every 9 months or so. So, if the coiny-telly man passed you up, you'd have to ration when you could watch TV. I remember the first time my mum made this mistake and the bin got filled. My pa was so angry that he didn't get to watch Emmerdale Farm and Whizz-Bizz that night as no more would fit in the machine. Well, we never made that mistake again.
- gambiting 7y ago
  I honestly can't tell if this is satire or not.
  - celticninja 7y ago
    It sounds a bit four Yorkshire men but these TVs and this service did exist.
  - dylan604 7y ago
    Black Mirror is amazing because of this. I absolutely love British humor or is it humour?
  - soneil 7y ago
    I've never seen a coin-op TV, but "back when I were a lad" we had electricity on the same principle. IIRC (and this is dark & distant memory) it started off coin-op and transitioned to cards you had to buy from local stores.
  - coldtea 7y ago
    Not sure about emptying them, but the TVs with coin slots where a thing in the UK: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/imageserver/image/methode%2Ftimes%2Fprod%2Fweb%2Fbin%2Fe1b0e302-960e-11e6-9cf8-8194c22ea509.jpg?crop=1470%2C827%2C15%2C8&resize=685 https://www.thetimes.co.uk/imageserver/image/methode%2Ftimes... Not for the BBC license though: it was when TVs where expensive (in the 60s and 70s) and so some people could just rent one. Probably sounds alien to US people, but UK was much poorer country, especially in workers areas...
    - NeedMoreTea 7y ago
      They were originally a US innovation that were imported and duplicated in the UK! See my sibling link. First thought of by the US International Telemeter Corporation in the late 40s or very early 50s.
    - nmstoker 7y ago
      You're right to highlight the point about the UK's former lack of wealth (as it's not obvious), but I was amused by the reference to "workers areas" - presumably "working class areas" as people have worked in pretty much all populated areas of the country since time immemorial.

scandox 7y ago

I still know people in Dublin that have coin operated electricity, though I think nearly all of them have been moved to card based systems.

radicalbyte 7y ago
They had that in the mainland too. It was something which was forced on poor people and resulted in electricity prices considerably higher than they otherwise would have been. My grandparents were forced to have one. My late grandfather had PTSD from fighting in WWII and could basically never hold down a job or make a good financial decision.
JackFr 7y ago
I've been to campsites where the showers are free, but the hot water requires coins. You really want to get your money's worth, but the fear of being lathered up and it going straight cold motivates you to be quick.

Balgair 7y ago

I also remember the coin operated tellys. Yes, every 6 months or there abouts the coiny-telly man would come about to collect the coins. It was a real hassle, as you had to be at your flat all that day. Otherwise, the coiny-telly man would just pass you up. Thing was, the little bin that the coins fell into would fill up every 9 months or so. So, if the coiny-telly man passed you up, you'd have to ration when you could watch TV. I remember the first time my mum made this mistake and the bin got filled. My pa was so angry that he didn't get to watch Emmerdale Farm and Whizz-Bizz that night as no more would fit in the machine. Well, we never made that mistake again.

gambiting 7y ago
I honestly can't tell if this is satire or not.
- celticninja 7y ago
  It sounds a bit four Yorkshire men but these TVs and this service did exist.
- dylan604 7y ago
  Black Mirror is amazing because of this. I absolutely love British humor or is it humour?
- soneil 7y ago
  I've never seen a coin-op TV, but "back when I were a lad" we had electricity on the same principle. IIRC (and this is dark & distant memory) it started off coin-op and transitioned to cards you had to buy from local stores.
- coldtea 7y ago
  Not sure about emptying them, but the TVs with coin slots where a thing in the UK: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/imageserver/image/methode%2Ftimes%2Fprod%2Fweb%2Fbin%2Fe1b0e302-960e-11e6-9cf8-8194c22ea509.jpg?crop=1470%2C827%2C15%2C8&resize=685 https://www.thetimes.co.uk/imageserver/image/methode%2Ftimes... Not for the BBC license though: it was when TVs where expensive (in the 60s and 70s) and so some people could just rent one. Probably sounds alien to US people, but UK was much poorer country, especially in workers areas...
  - NeedMoreTea 7y ago
    They were originally a US innovation that were imported and duplicated in the UK! See my sibling link. First thought of by the US International Telemeter Corporation in the late 40s or very early 50s.
  - nmstoker 7y ago
    You're right to highlight the point about the UK's former lack of wealth (as it's not obvious), but I was amused by the reference to "workers areas" - presumably "working class areas" as people have worked in pretty much all populated areas of the country since time immemorial.