France, 1835: Difficult Period for Platinum Valuation

1835: 1 Troy Oz. Platinum (UK: Semi-Mfg, Retail) = Fr. 40.72 (£ 1.60)

Nov. 1835: 1 Troy Oz. Platinum (Dental Alloy?, Trade) = Fr 26.43 (USD$ 5.05) 

Apparently, sons of the Royal Surgeon-Dentist Antoine-Malagou Desirabode were selling dental Platinum to the trade, c. 1835

Citation: Allgemeine Zeitung München (11/20/1835)




The Platinum price was in flux, with widely varying quotations & estimations.  Conrad Malte-Brun was citing Fr 24.57 (for Russian aggregate production) as late as 1835, a time when others noted the Russian ingot price collapse.  It appears the Russian ingot price collapsed -50% at some point between 1824 - 1825 (Fr 30.48 > Fr 15.25 - 16.25) on the French market; it's likely this was in 1825.

Some sources also appear to have republished old data indescriminately. 

The coin value of the Platinum Rouble greatly exceeded the Paper Rouble-Franc parity (1:1) or the estimated Silver Rouble Rate (3:1), by 30%.

c.1830: 1 Troy Oz. Platinum (Platinum Rouble, coined) = Fr 36.06 (USD$ 6.90) 

Citation: Abrégé de géographie, By Adriano Balbi (1833), p.1318







c. 1833/4?: 1 Troy Ounce Platinum  = Fr 24. ($ 4.49) --- Suspect republishing ---

Citation: Nouveaux éléments d'histoire naturelle: contenant la zoologie, la botanique ... By Antoine-Paulin-Germain Salacroux (1835) p.893


1835: 1 Troy Ounce Platinum  = Fr 31.10 ($ 5.94)
1831: Tariffed Rate  for 4 year Holding Period = Fr 93.43


Citation: Journal des conseillers municipaux, des conseillers d ..., Vol. 2 (1835) p.95



Citation: Revue mensuelle d'économie politique, Vol. 4-5; Edit. by Théodore Fix (1835) p.441


c. 1836: 1 Troy Ounce platina  = Fr 7.47 - 12.94 ($ 1.43 - 2.47)
c. 1836: 1 Troy Ounce Platinum  = Fr 29.55 - 31.10 ($ 5.65 - 5.94)

Citation: Dictionnaire de la conversation et de la lecture: Pic - Por, Volume 44 (1838) p. 229


Lightning-Rod tip: Fr. 18. - 20. ($ 3.45 - 3.83) 

c. 1834/5:
 



1835 : French imports of platina = 



Citation: Dictionnaire pittorosque d'histoire naturelle et des phénomènes de la nature ... Félix-Edouard Guérin-Méneville (1837) p.227

1836: 1 Troy Ounce Platinum  = Fr 31.10 ($ 5.94)

Circa 1835? 10-Gallon Platinum alembic cost £ 1,000. (~Fr 25,000.)

Where the Gros (4 Grammes) was 61.73 English Troy Grains, or ~1/10th an English Troy Ounce:

c. Dec. 1825: 1 Ozt. Iridium (Paris: Retail) ~ Fr 466.55 ($ 87.37)

c. Apr. 1836: 1 Ozt. Iridium (SPb: Mint) = 43.7487 руб Acc. ($ 9.5236; )

As reported from St. Petersburg 4/20/1836:

"Sent to Paris, Iridium excited admiration in French scholars and artists, and in Paris they initially paid the high price per drachma of Iridium Fr 60; but even more so the rarity of Iridium was until now solely to blame that this useful metal to find few applications.  The Imperial Finance Minister, Count Cancrin, has now enacted to bring the accumulated stocks of laboratory Iridium and all unrefined residues obtained during the cleaning of Platinum to market at reasonable prices. Consequently, refined Iridium is to be sold at 6 rubles ($1.31) per Zolotnik, the unrefined residues at just 1 Rubel Bco. Ass. here. those who want to buy these items must appeal to the Supreme Sobolewskij"  

Citation: Gemeinnützige Blätter. (5/5/1836) p.292

c.1835:

By estimation of the Russian Rouble metal ratios, coined Platinum was simply 3x the Silver Rouble value in Francs; ergo, 3-Roubles (Pt) = 12 Fr. 

The French market price for refined Platinum was considerably lower than the Rouble rate, suggesting at least the lucrative potential for counterfeit coinage (however unlikely, given supply constraints.)  The official, intrinsic monetized rate (10.36g at .950, 3-Rouble Coin)  per Troy Ounce is determined accordingly.

c.1840: 1 Troy Ounce Platinum (semi-mfg, mkt)  = Fr 28.44  (USD$ 5.50)

1840: 1 Troy Oz. Platinum Estimation (intrinsic Coin Rouble)  = Fr 37.92 (USD$  )

Although the UK market price was lower, the UK retail price for Pt was the same as this foreign exchange valuation.

1840: 1 Troy Oz. Platinum Estimation (intrinsic Coin Rouble)  = £ 1.50 (USD$  7.50)

1835 Importation:


Citation: Dictionnaire universel des poids et mesures anciens et modernes...Horace DOURSTHER (1841) p.306

 


 Dubious valuation, c. 1835?