When accounting for inflation, £.02 in 1910 would be worth a little over £2 today. In USD, that's a little over $3. I can go to the local duck pond today and can buy feed for $.50.
I get the message in the song -- that it doesn't take much to do something kind for someone else (and this is my favorite song in the movie, btw). But it seems like a ha'penny or a farthing would be more appropriate prices.
Presuming your numbers are accurate, then I accept your point.
Except that hearing Andrews sing, "farthing, farthing..." or "ha'penny, ha'penny" would sound horrible. So for that reason, even if your point is 100% rock-solid, tuppence is still way better.
You are wrong. Before 1971, the pound sterling was not decimal. You had 12 pence in a shilling, and 20 shillings in a pound. Therefore, a pence was 1/240 of a pound.
Tuppence, or two non decimal pence, meant then 1/120 of a british pound, or 0.00833 pounds (1/120).
Using the inflation calculator, 0.00833 pound in 1910 was 0.89 pound today (or US$1.17). More than half of your mistakenly calculated 3 dollars.
You're welcome.
"You keep him in here, and make sure HE doesn't leave!"
You are so kind to remind me about the decimalization, or lack thereof, of British currency. But I'll repeat what I said earlier: that I can go to my local duck pond and buy a bag of feed for $.50. Assuming your math is correct, you're saying that the woman is charging the equivalent of $1.17.
We can work this the other way, too. $.50 is approximately the same as what is today 36p. According to an inflation calculator, .36 of a pound today was approximately .0032 of a pound in 1910. That's about 3 farthings. Compared to the 8 that the birdwoman charges.
So, I standby my original point that the breadcrumbs were expensive.
YOU'RE welcome.
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I used to buy a mix-up poke which was about tuppence a bag for my nieces and nephews.
This is about 100 years after this movie was set.
The value of a tuppence can only be lower during that time and hence yes, it was an expensive bag of bird food - but they could each afford it at St Peter's Cathedral around the corner from their house.
Give what you can seems to be the message, not how much you can.