France, 1814: Platinum Price Drop, Cornered Market

DSQ 

c.1812: The Joint Venture of Cuoq & M. Bréant

In 1812, Cuoq & Courturier imported & stockpiled a large quantity of platina. Around the same time, M. Bréant's discovery of Wollaston's method inaugurated a great development for French manufactures. This combination signaled the end of the philosopher-artisan period in Platinum's history.

The establishment of proper factory, cheaply producing & merchandising refined Platinum, led to a 50% price drop within two years. Unable to complete economically, Wollaston ended his Platinum business in 1820.

The drop in manufactured (retail) platinum prices in France was profound, but stable.

c. 1812: 1 Troy Oz. Platinum (Paris: Wire) = Fr 30.48 (~£ 1.61; USD$ 6.51)

1812: 1 Ozt. Platinum (UK: Wire) ~ Fr. 15.92 (£ 0.8355)
1812: 1 Ozt. Platinum (scrap) = Fr. 15.24 (£ 0.80; USD$ 3.01)
1812: 1 Ozt. Platinum (UK: scrap) ~ Fr. 4.75 (£ 0.25)

1814: 1  Ozt. Platinum (US First Base Price) =  Fr. 20.576
 
1817: 1 Ozt. Platinum (Mfg.) = Fr. 18.29 (USD$ 3.617)

1817: 1 Ozt. Platinum (Refined) = Fr. 15.24 (USD$ 3.01)

Citation: Annales de l'industrie manufacturilere, agricole ..., Vol. 2, Issues 4-6 (1827) p.133


Citation: Journal de pharmacie et des sciences accessoires (1817) p.142

1814: "Janety fils" no longer using the arsenic method of purification


c. 1826

Citation: Traité complet de l'art du dentiste d'après l'état actuel des connaissances...; F. Maury (1828) p.430

1814-26: Jean-Robert Bréant begins processing 3,100.025 kgs of platina from the Spanish Crown (stockpile of Casa de Platina) = 99,668 Ozt platina @ 72% pure = 71,761 Ozt Pt (2,232 Kgs.)

Assuming 12 years of work, Bréant produced 5,980 Ozt (186 Kgs) per year, or 15.5 Kgs per month.

Citation: Industrie des métaux précieux ; Honoré Théodoric P.J. d' Albert (1854)

  

1827: Historical reference (to 1812-17) and Louvre Ingot of 1827

c.1815/6:
The Paris retail price platina had fallen from a High of Fr 162.71/oz circa 1757.

Citation: The Journal of science and the arts, Vol. 3 ; Royal Institution of Great Britain (1818) p. 259
 

Cuocq's biography