July 19, 2010

France, 1834: Dental Palladium; French Textbook Price, a PRICE LOW

Textbooks normally repeated woefully out-of-date price data, but the (original) Year may be estimated within reason.

The Précis élémentaire d'Histoire naturelle was first presented 21 décembre 1831 without Platinum price data. The Third Edition contains an expanded section on Platinum also absent from the less descriptive earlier 1833 2nd Edition.

It's virtually impossible that expanded Platinum description & price data would be edited from the author's original ms. (and omitted from First and Second Editions) yet saved and later reincorporated. So new data was "new," at least for the 1834 edition. Subsequent editions repeat Third Edition data, without any comment or correction on the price.

Although the specific Year for the price in question is not specified, the Third Edition was a revision that introduced new material (and presumably, contemporary price data.) So the data is from 1832 - 1834.

Curiously, a republication of a children's textbook (1834) by the same author was not updated, that 1840 edition still references the putative 1830 Platinum price.

c.1834: 1 Troy Ounce Platinum (semi-mfg, mkt) = Fr 20.32 (USD$ 3.95)
c.1834: 1 Troy Oz. platina (ore, mkt) = Fr 5.08 - 6.10 (USD$ )

1831: 1 Troy Ounce Platinum (refined price range) = Fr. 16. - 24. (USD$ 3.07 - 4.60)

Citation: Precis Elementaire D'Histoire Naturelle, Gabriel Delafosse 1836, p.359



Citation: Elémens d'histoire naturelle: présentant dans une suite de tableaux ...; Antoine Constant Saucerotte (1835) p. iii


Where the French drachma (gros) = 59 English Troy Grains
1834: 1 Troy Oz. Iridium (pure, semi-mfg, mkt) = Fr 488. (USD$ 93.25)
1834: 1 Troy Oz. Iridium (StPb) = руб Banco 161.86 (USD$ 33.56)

1834:1 Troy Oz. Platinum (StPb Buyer's scrap) = руб Banco 7.29 (USD$ 1.51)

...and bring to moderate the findings of the cleaning Platina unresolved parts prices in the market. Accordingly, Iridium is sold for 6 Roubles per Sololnik, whereas scrap Platinum is sold for just 1 Banco Assignati Rouble.


Citation: Oesterreichischer Beobachter (1836) p.603





The Palladium Price Collapse dates to sometime around 1834, when Johnson announced the large supply available and use by dentists 'instead of Gold.'


1834: 1 Troy Oz. Palladium (refined) = Fr 591.  (USD$ 108.) 
 
1835: 1 Troy Oz. Palladium (Paris: alloy "for dentists") = Fr 28.44  (USD$ 5.22) 


1846: 1 Troy Oz. Palladium (Paris: refined) =  Fr  139.95 (USD$ 26.69) 

Citation: Allgemeines Waren-Lexikon, Vol. 2; Johann C. Leuchs (1836) p.59


June 1835:

Palladium, instead of Platinum, for use in dentistry: Dr. Billiards, Medical Dentist of Paris, has successfully tried for awhile and now recommends to his colleagues Palladium costing just Fr 28. per Once.  Address: Rue de l'Ancienne-Comédie, No. 18th

Citation: Notizen aus dem Gebiete der Natur- und Heilkunde, Vol. 44: 18, No. 964, p.288
 
1834: French platina import (80% ore) = 93.875 Kgs. = 3,018 Ozt
1834: French Pt import (.999) = 75.1 Kgs. = 2,414.4 Ozt. ..... (+ ~80 Ozt Rh, ~34 Ozt Ir, ~24 Ozt Pd, ~24 Ozt Os)  
  


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