From: "Virgils Ghost" 
Newsgroups: uk.finance
Subject: Re: That "squalid raffle" (aka Premium bonds) Times Sat 29 April 2006
Date: Sun, 30 Apr 2006 19:19:16 GMT

"Allan Gould"  wrote in message 
news:4bkebkFvvn8gU1@individual.net...
> Tiddy Ogg wrote:
>> On Sun, 30 Apr 2006 16:06:36 +0100, Allan Gould
>>  wrote:
>>
>>> "Squalid raffle" still a big draw: Against all the odds, Premium Bonds 
>>> are more popular than ever in their 50th year
>>>
>>> It is 50 years ago this month that Harold Macmillan announced the launch 
>>> of what was described as a "squalid raffle" to a Britain labouring under 
>>> postwar austerity in an attempt to persuade us all to save more.
>> Well, my 1 pound bond held almost from the start is still awaiting
>> success.
>
> Further to suggestions by other posters on this thread that older bonds 
> may not be included in the draw, I can confirm that old bonds do get 
> prizes.  I have a 300GBP purchased in 1968 (admittedly not the very 
> beginning) and it picked up a prize (only 50 quid, mind) in 2004 and 
> another in 2005.

Yet no notable activity in previous three decades? One would expect some 
older bonds to benefit from some manual 'pruning' every now and then as not 
to frighten the herd, no doubt that boxes of original bonds are now being 
used to prop open various doors across the department.