The E-Sylum:  Volume 8, Number 45, October 23, 2005, Article 21

A PUDDING AND A SIXPENCE

An October 18 article in The Telegraph mentions a
coin-related promotional scheme gone awry:

"A supermarket's hopes of selling Christmas puddings with
"lucky sixpences" inside has fallen foul of health and safety laws.

Sainsbury, which has spent months scouring Britain for the
coins, says it is not allowed to insert them into the puddings
because they "constitute a choking hazard".

"We can't supply the coin already mixed into the pudding,"
a spokesman said. "Instead we have provided a collector's
card with the coin attached that you can place under a plate
or table mat for one lucky friend or family member to find."

Because many shop-bought Christmas puddings are now
heated in a microwave oven, leaving metal coins in the mix
could be dangerous, the store added.

Sixpences, which were withdrawn from circulation in 1971
but remained legal tender until 1980, and other good luck
charms have been added to Christmas puddings for more
than 500 years."

To read the full article, see: Full Story

"It was common practice to include small silver coins in the
pudding mixture, which could be kept by the person whose
serving included them. The usual choice was a silver 3d piece,
or a sixpence. However this practice fell away once real silver
coins were not available, as it was believed that alloy coins
would taint the pudding."
Full Story

  Wayne Homren, Editor

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