The Price of Gold, 1257 - Present.


      What Was the Price of Gold?
British official price (1257-1945)
U.S. official price (1786-2010)
New York market price (1791-2010)
Gold/silver price ratio (1687-2010)
London market price (1718-2010)
Initial Year:  
Ending Year:

Whether as the basis for the monetary unit of a country, or in its role in comparison to the currency price of silver, the price of gold has long been a subject of great interest to both the scholar and the general public. Below are five series for determining the value of gold historically:

  • British Official Price for the years 1257 to 1945
  • U.S. Official Price for the years 1786 to 2010
  • New York Market Price for the years 1791 to 2010
  • Gold/Silver Price Ratio for the years 1687 to 2010
  • London Market Price for the years 1718 to 2010

Since the beginning of the 2011, the price of gold has increased 23% while the S&P 500 is down 10%. Gold has be the best investment for this year. Has this always been true? Use The Time Traveler's Investment Calculator to find out.

To help understand where the historical data come from, you should read What Was the Price of Gold Then? Importance, Measurement, and History (25K PDF). The specialist or the serious user will also want to read What was the Price of Gold Then? A Data Study (111K PDF). This essay considers the five gold-price series one by one and provides a detailed description and evaluation of the existing work on the specific price.


Please read our Note on Data Revisions.

Citation

Lawrence H. Officer and Samuel H. Williamson, "The Price of Gold, 1257 - Present.," MeasuringWorth, 2011
URL: http://www.measuringworth.com/gold/

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