If we hadn’t abolished the gold standard
My recent posting about the gold standard was perhaps a bit theoretical. I’ve now tried to work out exactly what the pound, the Scandinavian crown and the American dollar would have been worth today if they had still followed the link to the price of gold:
| Gold standard | Modern pound | Modern Danish crown |
|---|---|---|
| 1£ (pound) | £87.32 | DKK 953.50 |
| 1s (shilling) = 1/20 £ | £4.37 | DKK 47.75 |
| 1d (penny) = 1/12 s | £0.36 | DKK 4.00 |
| 1g (guinea) = 1£ 1s | £91.69 | DKK 1001.25 |
| 1 crown = 5s | £21.83 | DKK 238.50 |
| sixpence = 6d | £2.18 | DKK 23.75 |
| 1 farthing = 1/4d | £0.09 | DKK 1.00 |
| 1 Scandinavian crown | £4.41 | DKK 48.00 |
| 1 Scandinavian øre | £0.04 | DKK 0.50 |
| 1 American dollar | £16.45 | DKK 179.50 |
| 1 American cent | £0.16 | DKK 1.75 |
In other words, a PlayStation 3 would have sold for 4£ 17s 4d in Victorian times. 😉