10 pences - M – Mackintosh

What’s more British than complaining about the weather? It seems we’re never quite satisfied, and for every Briton, the Mackintosh is an item that accompanies them every day.

Invented by Charles Macintosh in the mid-19th century, the Macintosh (sometimes spelt Mackintosh) was a revolution. Made by sandwiching a layer of naphtha and rubber between two layers of fabric, the fabric only found its true calling when the Macintosh company merged with clothing company Thomas Hancock.

The first manufactured versions had a nasty habit of melting in the hot summer sun, however after a few improvements, the true Macintosh was born. For years, creating a material that was truly waterproof was a pipe dream, however thanks to this Glaswegian chemist the Macintosh is now an item that we take for granted.