France, 1816: Platinum Stills, Paris Price Falls >50% from 1811

In 1816, the price of refined Platinum fell from ~Fr 15.75/once to Fr 14., an -11% decline. MM. Cuoq and Couturier, w. M. Bréant, greatly reduced the market price for all Platinum products in late 1816/early 1817, as noted in a Silver Medal awarded early in 1818.

c. January, 1816:
Including accessories, Jeannetty's 1816 boiler had a Platinum weight per Litre of 6.3143 Troy Ounces; the amount of Litres contained per Troy Ounce was 0.1584 Litres.  

Citation: Bulletin universel des sciences et de l'industrie: Bulletin des ..., Vol. 5, (1829) p.390.

January, 1816: 1 Troy Oz. Platinum (Refined) ~ Fr 15.5 (£ 0.648)

January, 1816: 1 Troy Oz. Platinum (Semi-Mfg) ~ Fr 16.52 (£ 0.69)
January, 1816: 1 Troy Oz. Pt (assembly) ~ Fr 4. (£ 0.166) 
January, 1816: 1 Troy Oz. Platinum (Mfg, Bulk) = Fr. 20.34 (£ 0.8437)


c. April, 1816: 
Jacques Jouard was an Assayer in Geneva, his gift of a Platinum still was in early 1816. weighing 48.566 ozt.  Where 40 Louis d'Or @ Fr 24. = Fr 960., April Prices

"Mr. Jouard, a Geneva chemist, presented to our group promoting the arts in the city, a vase in platinum to be used for refining gold. It consumed 50 Onces of this metal, which cost 16 Francs, so that this vessel, including the cost of manufacture, is valued at 40 Louis."

Citation: Le Constitutionnel: journal du commerce, politique et littéraire; No. 133 (May 1816)


April, 1816: 1 Troy Oz. Platinum (refined) ~ Fr 15.25 (£ 0.618)

April, 1816: 1 Troy Oz. Platinum (Semi-Mfg) = Fr 16.25 (£ 0.663)
April, 1816: 1 Troy Oz. Pt (assembly) = Fr 3.50 (£ 0.1426)
April, 1816: 1 Troy Oz. Platinum (Mfg, Bulk) = Fr 19.768 (£ 0.805)

c. December, 1816: 
December, 1816: 1 Troy Oz. Platinum (Semi-Mfg) = Fr 15.25 (£ 0.608) 
December, 1816: 1 Troy Oz. Platinum (Semi-Mfg, Bulk) = Fr 14.23 (£ 0.567)
December, 1816: 1 Troy Oz. Platinum (assembly) ~ Fr 4.07 (£ 0.162)
December, 1816: 1 Troy Oz. Platinum (Mfg, Bulk) = Fr 18.30 (£ 0.729)

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


As reported in the annual notes for April 1816 - March 1817, the boiler was probably constructed in December 1816.


Citation: Journal de pharmacie et des sciences accessoires, Vol.3, No.3 (March 1817), p.142
 

1816/7: First Large French Still, sold by the Magasin of Cuoq et Couturier, of Bréant's Platinum

Jeannetty et Fils were forced to lower their prices with the over-supply of platina in the Paris market, a singular event occasioned by the Spanish Government liquidating its stock of nearly 1,000 kgs. of the ore.  The Boiler Price, in units of Platinum, fell by half:

1811: 1 Troy Ounce Platinum (manufactured) = Fr. 36.57 (USD$ 7.84)
1815: 1 Troy Ounce Platinum (manufactured) = Fr. 24.38 (USD$ 4.30)
1816: 1 Troy Ounce Platinum (manufactured) ~ Fr. 18.30 (USD$ 3.40)
1816/7: 1 Troy Ounce Platinum (manufactured) ~ Fr. 17.30. (USD$ 3.20)

c.1811-7
Citation: Nouveau dictionnaire d'histoire naturelle, appliquée aux arts..., Vol. 26; Charles S. Sonnini (1818) p. 383


Where 5.5 kgs = 176.83 ozt, the weights do not match.  Platinum @ Fr 654/kg appears to be an early 1816 price, however.

1811: Jannetty's boilers, by weight
Citation: Dictionnaire chronologique et raisonné des découvertes: inventions.., Vol. 13; p.490 (1824)



1816/7:
Complete with accessories, Cuoq & Couturier's 1816/7 still had a Platinum weight per Litre of 3.114 Troy Ounces; the amount of Litres contained per Troy Ounce was 0.3211 Litres.

1816/7: 1 Troy Ounce Platinum (mfg, bulk rate) = Fr 18.06 (USD$ 3.96)
1817: 1 Troy Ounce Platinum (mfg, still) = Fr 20.04 (USD$ 3.73)
1816/7: 1 Troy Ounce Platinum (mkt) = Fr 20.34 (USD$ 4.)



1816: 1 Troy Ounce Platinum (market?) = Fr. 14. (USD$ 3.07)

1816: 1 Troy Ounce Platinum (manufactured) = Fr. 18. (USD$ 3.95)
1816: 1 Troy Ounce Platinum (producer) = Fr. 14. (USD$ 3.07)
1816: 1 Troy Oz. Platinum (sponge)  = Fr 15.24 (£ 0.6171)
1816: 1 Troy Oz. Platinum (sheet)  = Fr 18.29  (£ 0.7370)
1816: 1 Troy Ounce Platinum (semi-mfg) = Fr 16.25 (USD$ 3.56)
1816: 1 Troy Ounce Platinum (mfg) = Fr 18.55 (USD$ 4.07)

1816: 1 Troy Oz. Platinum (semi-mfg) = Fr 16.25 (£ 0.655)

1817: The Platinum Price had fallen by 50% (from 1811) but the ore price had greatly risen.





1815/6 news from Brazil

 

Citation: Supplemente zu dem chemischen Wörterbuche, Vol. 3; Martin Heinrich Klaproth (1817) p.168



1817:

Citation: The philosophical magazine and journal, Volume 49 Andrew Tilloch, Richard Taylor, 1817, p.463.

1817:
Citation: Journal de pharmacie et des sciences accessoires, Volume 3 (1817) p. 142

In the last meeting of the Society of Arts and encouragement of commercial diligence to Paris, the largest vessel of its Platina was presented, which has been manufactured to date. It weighs 15 kilograms or 30 pounds, has a capacity of 120 Litres, and the board is completely cleansed of foreign metals (osmium, iridium, rhodium and palladium), which his Hammerbarkeit which characterized the metal most harm.

1817:
The amount of refined Platinum Breant's 1817 still by weight per Litre was 4.0192 Troy Ounces; the amount of Litres contained per Troy Ounce was 0.2488 Litres.

March, 1817:

c.1818:

Copper-clad vessels:

From Annales des mines, ou Recueil de mémoires sur l'exploitation des..., Vol. 3; Commission des Annales des mines (1818), the imports of platina fell dramatically in 1816-7, 2.5 kilograms each year.

1818:
Before the addition of any siphon or accessory, Cuoq, Couturier & Cie's 1818 Platinum still appears to be ~17% lighter/ more economical than Wollaston's first still. The approximate amount of refined Platinum by weight per Litre was 2.9772 Troy Ounces; the amount of Litres contained per Troy Ounce was 0.3359 Litres.

1818: