Decimal Day use pennies or threepenny pieces, to pay them in multiples of 6d (p, the lowest common multiple of the two systems). Bus companies (at that time many state-owned by the National Bus Company) were another exception, going decimal on Sunday 21 February. Decimal Day itself went smoothly. Criticisms included the small size of the new halfpenny coin and the fact that some traders had taken advantage of the transition to raise prices. Some used new pennies as sixpences in vending machines. After 15 February, shops continued to accept payment in old coins, but always issued change in new coins. The
Coins of the pound sterling and have ceased to be legal tender. <nowiki>* The specifications and dates of 5p, 10p, and 50p coins refer to the larger sizes issued in 1968 and 1969 respectively. † The specification refers to the round coin issued from 1983–2016. Although obsolete, this coin is still redeemable at banks and still legal tender on the Isle of Man.</nowiki> All modern British coins feature a profile of the current monarch's head on the obverse. There has been only one monarch since decimalisation, Queen Elizabeth II, so her head appears on all decimal coins, facing to the right (see also Monarch's head,