National treasures

Back in the 1950s school children were often given 6d to buy a National Savings Stamp, and were promptly handed a stamp featuring a portrait of the cute curly haired Princess Anne. Half a crown would buy a stamp with the nearly as cute portrait of Prince Charles.

Successive governments have always known the benefit of encouraging the public to save for a rainy day. Aside from teaching younger citizens how to conserve funds, it is also an ideal way for them to borrow money at a very favourable interest rate. In fact the current system of ‘Ernie’, also known as the