Re: Historical Currency Valuations

(a) web site "Current Value of Old Money" may be useful:

 

http://www.ex.ac.uk/~RDavies/arian/current/howmuch.html

 

(b) History of Money from Ancient Times to the Present (book) may have tables:

http://www.ex.ac.uk/~RDavies/arian/llyfr.html

 

(c) not a "general reference", but a "general method":

convert period currency (e.g., Rubles 1799) to period Pound Stirling (from period sources) and, then, convert Period pound stirling (e.g., pound sterling 1799) to modern values. Inflation indices for pound sterling may be at the above web site. There is also an historical table of inflation (pound sterling) (approx 300 years) in:

 

William Rees-Mogg, The reigning error: the crisis of world inflation (out of print, but library may have it)

 

 

Gernot Kohler

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Original message:  Historical Currency Valuations   18 February 2001

 

Dear WSN'ers,

 

I am looking for information on either a website or a good reference text that
I could use to translate historical currency figures into a relatively modern
dollar equivalency.  For example, my particular problem right now is to convert
8 million rubles circa 1799 into a modern dollar amount.  However, I would like
to get a good general reference source for future use.

 

Thanks in advance for any and all suggestions!

 

Jon Carlson