Should You Decimalize Christmas Pudding? Government Report, 1966.

There is an eighty-one page file held with the National Archives of Australia whose sole subject is devoted to the use of decimalised currency in Christmas puddings. The testing was conducted by the Sydney City Council Testing Laboratories in 1966 and put the new decimalised coins through a number of "pudding" scenarios. The situation seemed serious with reports marked "Confidential" and Treasury Minute Papers dedicated to the subject. And why the fuss?

The three-penny, the traditional pudding coin, was in short supply and there were concerns about the health effects of the new coins made of alloy materials. The end result? Decimalised currency in your pudding poses no health risk, but you do risk tainting your pudding with a metallic flavour. Check at the end of the post for a the "Australian Government Approved Christmas Pudding" recipe."

Front Page of the report prepared by the Sydney City Council Testing Laboratories.

Range of test coins from boiled puddings after 2 months.

 

Table of results for test coins from boiled puddings after 2 months.

'The new decimal coins and Christmas Pudding, Department of the Treasury Minute Paper.

 Draft Press Release "Don't Decimalise your Christmas Pudding." From the Copper and Brass Information Centre.

"Australian Government Approved" recipe for Christmas pudding.



Citation:
National Archives of Australia, Item #12150861