How do I convert old French currency?
July 9, 2015 8:02 AM Subscribe
I'd like to convert 729 livres in Lyon, France in 1736 to contemporary US dollars.
From the research I've done, it seems like the easiest way to do this is to first convert livres to pounds- that's the part of the equation I'm missing.
After that, I've found that one pound in 1736 = roughly 235 contemporary USD.
From the research I've done, it seems like the easiest way to do this is to first convert livres to pounds- that's the part of the equation I'm missing.
After that, I've found that one pound in 1736 = roughly 235 contemporary USD.
You could maybe convert it to silver and then convert the silver to current USD, which using the wikipedia numbers for 1726 puts it at around $1500? I guess it depends what you're trying to accomplish by the comparison.
FWIW, I don't find these sorts of comparisons all that useful (outside of the last 100 years or so, maybe) and prefer stuff like, "the equivalent of 3 years salary for a skilled artisan" or "enough to buy 600 acres of arable land."
posted by mskyle at 8:40 AM on July 9, 2015 [2 favorites]
FWIW, I don't find these sorts of comparisons all that useful (outside of the last 100 years or so, maybe) and prefer stuff like, "the equivalent of 3 years salary for a skilled artisan" or "enough to buy 600 acres of arable land."
posted by mskyle at 8:40 AM on July 9, 2015 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: Yes, that's really what I'm looking for. What was the purchasing power of 729 livres in 1736. I believe it's just shy of a mark of gold. This amount was what a man was charged to bury his step-daughter in a hospital burial ground for Protestants and everyone commented that it was excessive. I want to know how excessive.
posted by Thin Lizzy at 8:46 AM on July 9, 2015
posted by Thin Lizzy at 8:46 AM on July 9, 2015
I've found some figures: 20/22 sols (1 sou = 0.05 livres) per day for a manoeuvre, and elsewhere 248 livres per year for a manoeuvre (e.g. unskilled worker working on fortifications). Women would be paid about half that. So that's around three years salary for unskilled labour.
posted by Monday, stony Monday at 9:23 AM on July 9, 2015
posted by Monday, stony Monday at 9:23 AM on July 9, 2015
Check out this Web site, then good luck researching and converting. There is an entry for "Eighteenth-century currencies and exchange rates." Using the search term "historical currency converter 1700s" allows pertinent results.
For the British Pound 1270 to 2005, this site is interesting.
As an aside, I like this site too when researching prices in the U.S. For my own use I've concocted the Motel Six index ($6 in 1966) and the Levi's 501 index (I could buy 501's on sale in 1968 for approx $6.75) relative to today's prices.
posted by WinstonJulia at 9:46 AM on July 9, 2015
For the British Pound 1270 to 2005, this site is interesting.
As an aside, I like this site too when researching prices in the U.S. For my own use I've concocted the Motel Six index ($6 in 1966) and the Levi's 501 index (I could buy 501's on sale in 1968 for approx $6.75) relative to today's prices.
posted by WinstonJulia at 9:46 AM on July 9, 2015
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posted by backwards guitar at 8:11 AM on July 9, 2015