USA, 1821

1822: 1 Troy Oz. Platinum (Vienna: Mfg, Jewelry Retail) = $         (Fl C.M. 26.745)


News from Russia to the Eastern Seaboard was ~ 2 months.

c. 1821: Platina was so expensive, it was not considered worth counterfeiting Gold for the effort.

Citation: Chemical instructor: presenting a familiar method of teaching the chemical... ; Amos Eaton (1822)

Platina wire recommended (and available) for New York college chemistry laboratories and lectures.

1821: Curious (dated) statement: 'platina cheaper than Silver'?

A Commercial Directory for the USA indicated the 1822 tariff for (Colombian) platina: 15%.

Citation: Commercial directory: containing, a topographical description... (1823) p.17
 


1820/1 Prices: 

USA, 1890: 2-Sigma Event for Pt Price

March, 1890: 1 Troy Oz. Platinum (Mkt) ~ USD$ 14.

Citation: Congressional Edition, Vol. 2775 
 

 



No contemporaries bothered to record/detail the 1890 Platinum Price Bubble in the US market, but two sources attempted to chart the dramatic price moves in Marks (Platinum) and Shilling (Ore.)

Refined Platinum on the German market:

Citation: Chemist & Druggist, Vol. 40 (4/16/1892) p.566


Citation: The Electrical Engineer, Vol. 15, No. 254, 3/15/1893 p.268


January, 1890: 1 Ozt. Platinum (mkt) = USD$ 8.

May, 1890: 1 Ozt. Platinum (mkt) = USD$ 11.50
June, 1890: 1 Ozt. Platinum (mkt) = USD$ 13.
Late October, 1890: 1 Ozt. Platinum (mkt) ~ USD$ 25.

January 11, 1890:
 Citation: Engineering and Mining Journal, 1/11/90; Vol. 49-50, p.77
 

March, 1890: In Philadelphia chemists' circulars, sharply advancing prices (and scarcity) in photographers' platino-salts was noted by early March, 1890. By allusion, the early advance to occurred in sometime in January.




April 12, 1890:
Citation: Engineering and Mining Journal, 4/12/90; Vol. 49-50, p.440

Mid-May, 1890:
Citation: Western Electrician 5/24/90; p.292


May 1890: 1 Ozt. Platinum (Numismatic) = USD$ 35.77 (£ 7.34)
May 1890: Est. 33.9 g Platinum Medal (Numismatic) = USD$ 39. (£ 8.)






July 12, 1890:

Citation: Anthony's Photographic Bulletin, Vol. 21, No.13. 7/12/1890; p.390

 
c.August, 1890: 1 Ozt. Platinum (Semi-Mfg, Trade) = USD$ 19.20

Citation: Price list of physicians' supplies [manufactured by] Chas. Truax & Co. (1890) p.113

July, 1890: Erroneous, old price


October 6, 1890:
Citation: Engineering and Mining Journal, 10/6/90; Vol. 49-50, p.469


Citation: Engineering and Mining Journal, 10/11/90; p.434

 
December, 1890: 1 Troy Ounce Platinum (Semi-Mfg, whols.) ~ USD$ 9.
 c.September, 1890: 1 Troy Ounce Platinum (Semi-Mfg, whols.) = USD$ 20.

c. 10/1/1890:


Late October, 1890: Platinum More Expensive Than Gold! 

Citation: Anthony's Photographic Bulletin, Vol. 21, No.21; 11/12/1890; p.648

 
Late October, 1890: Platinum wire nearly 300% more expensive
 
Citation: The Telegraphic Journal & Electrical Review, 1890; pp.
 

 
November 8, 1890:
Citation: Engineering and Mining Journal, 11/8/90; Vol. 49-50, p.564
 
December 6, 1890:
Citation: Engineering and Mining Journal, 12/6/90; Vol. 49-50, p.668
 

December 27, 1890:
Citation: Engineering and Mining Journal, 12/27/90; Vol. 49-50, p.760


USGS briefly summarized the Platinum Spike, 1889-90:



1889-91: Destabilization of the Silver Standard may have encouraged a form of commodity speculation in Russia, particularly for those merchant houses trading heavily with the USA.





1890/1: Base-metals didn't witness a price-hike, either.

The price of Platinum rose dramatically in 1889, evidently an attempt at 'cornering the market.' It was suggested that dental patent holders & manufacturers were the culprits, in the 50% price hike.

1888/9: 1 Troy Ounce Platinum (manufactured, wholesale) ~ USD$ 15.00

Citation: See @nd Ed., Dental chemistry and metallurgy, Clifford Mitchell (1889) Page 200?


1889: 1 Troy Ounce Platinum (manufactured, wholesale) = USD$ 14.- 16.

Citation: The Electrical engineer, Vol. 6 (1890) p.564







Citation: Pacific Coast Dentist, Vol. 2, Southern California Dental Association (1893) p.130

May 1890: 1 Troy Ounce Pt (Source) = USD$ 11.50

Citation: Western Electrician, Vol. 6 5/24/1890 p.292
 

 Early 1890: 1 Troy Ounce Platinum (mkt) = USD$ 17.

c. mid-1890:

 

1890: 1 Troy Ounce Platinum (1890 Peak) = USD$ 22.

Summer 1890 (UK):

1890:

UK, 1824: Platina ore adulterated

January-December, 1823: 1 Troy Oz. Platinum (refined) = £ 1.28 - £ 1.5039

In 1824, Dr. Wollaston recorded Rhodium receipts of £ 42.75
 
In an 1824 treatise, Accum's old partner Fredrick Joyce warned consumers of duff platina sold by vendors.  Best quality ore samples were 55% - 65% Platinum, c. 1823/4.


c.1824 
Citation Practical chemical mineralogy; or, Concise and easy methods ... for readily; Frederick Joyce, 1825

In mid-1824 (?) a single cell of Wollaston's Voltaic battery cost £0.17 ; in 1825, a larger platino-zinc pile in Germany cost >5 x more.  Assuming a common thickness and 120 sq. in. per English Troy Ounce, ~£1.10 for 160 sq. in. Pt (for the English set, in 1824) and ~£0.50 for 24 sq. in. Pt (for the single German unit, in 1825) makes German Platinum ~3.25x more expensive by weight, less than a year later.

Citation: The Chemist (November 1824) p. 158

c.1824 Suggestion of Gold Foil-covered Platinum counterfeit Sovereigns.  The surface area of a full-weight, milled-edge Sovereign should be ~9.42 cm² (1.46 Sq. In.) Whereas a full-weight Sovereign ought to weigh 7.988 g. (.91665 Fine), a well-gilded counterfeit might have as much as 2.2 g. Gold alloy (~2 g. Fine Gold) with a Platinum alloy core weighing 5.8 g. 

For the correct Specific Gravity (w/ Sb & Cu), which most counterfeiters failed to achieved, the Platinum alloy should have been between 87%-91% Pt (~5.10-5.30 g.)

Dr. Wollaston claimed his refined Platinum had a Specific Gravity between 21.25-21.5, but contemporaries preferred and noted the better quality or French crucibles. 

Even assuming the an English counterfeiter already had the necessary tools (otherwise, a capital outlay), the purchase of refined Platinum was certainly not economical; commercial Platinum for the flan or planchet would have cost £ 0.25, before any cost for additional materials, labor and above any routine costs for such a criminal endeavor. 

Given the extant technology prior to the 1830s (when cheap plating with Galvanic batteries was known), this particular type of false coining would not have been remunerative or profitable, unless the counterfeiter had been a chemist or refiner (such as a Mint employee) and with access to cheap ore. 

Germany, 1867

Where the Loth was 14.40 g., the Quentchen ~1.6g., the Berlin Chemist's retail price for Chlor-Platinate had fallen -17.53%


1862: 1 Ounce Troy Chlor-Gold (Photo. Chemical, Retail) = Thlr. 25.9196
1862: 1 Ozt. Chlor-Platin (Photo. Chemical, Ret.) = Thlr. 9.72 

1867: 1 Ozt. Troy Chlor-Gold (Photo. Chemical, Ret.) = Thlr. 23.38
1867: 1 Ozt. Chlor-Platin (Photo. Chemical, Ret.) = Thlr. 8.02 
1867: 1 Ozt. Chlor-Palladium (Photo. Chemical, Ret.) = Thlr. 8.02





At Fl. 24.50 Fuss:

Citation: Repertorium für physikalische Technik für mathematische und ..., Vol. 3 (1867)




Where the 1867 Paris-delivery Poud-rate (16.38 Kg) wholesale price for Ural-refined Platinum ingot was 189.25 руб /Kg., (Fl 235.77; Thlr. 176.87)  

1867: 1 Troy Oz. Platinum (Paris: SPb Refined, Bulk) = Fl. 7.33 (Thlr. 5.50)   
1867: 1 Troy Oz. Platinum (UK: Scrap, Retail) ~ £ 1.00 (USD$ 6.88)  
1867: 1 Troy Oz. Platinum (USA: Trade: Plate) = $ 6. (USD$ 8.29) 
1867: 1 Troy Oz. Platinum (France: Mfg, Ret.) = Fl. 22.30

Assuming the weight of the Meter in Platinum to be ~2.5 Kg, the total weight of Platinum manufactured should not have greatly exceeded ~112.53 Ozt.  Manufacture was estimated to be 25% of the Price.  The standards should have weighed 5.43 Kgs?


1866: 1 Troy Oz. Platinum (Sheet & Wire) = Fl 14.31 (Thlr. 8.18)

1867: 1 Troy Oz. Platinum (Bavaria: Mfg) ~ Fl. 26.66 (Thlr. 15.23)  
1867: 1 Troy Oz. Platinum (Bavaria: Refined, Bulk) ~ Fl. 22.22  (Thlr. 12.70)

1869: 1 Troy Oz. Platinum (Wire & Foil: Semi-Mfg, Ret.) ~ Fl. 16.33 (Thlr. 9.33)
1869: 1 Troy Oz. Platinum (Basic Mfg, Ret.) ~ Fl. 17.24 (Thlr. 9.85)

  

Er bat daher Steinheil, ihm seine Preisvorstellungen zu nennen. Zugleich wie es aber darauf hin, dass der Landtag voraussichtlich für die herstellung je einer genauen kopie des meters und des kilogramms aus platin nicht höher als gefahr 3,000 Fl. ansetzen werde, wobei der Metallewerth des Platin auf circa 2,500 Fl. zu veranschlagen.

He therefore asked Steinheil to give him his asking price.  At the same time as but point out that the parliament is expected for manufacturing each an exact copy of the meters and kilogram of Platinum will begin, to be not excessively higher than Fl. 3,000, with the value of the Platinum metals to be approximately estimated Fl. 2,500.

1867: 
1 Troy Ounce Platinum (bulk, whols.) = Fl. 77.76 (Fr. 164.08)

Citation: Die Mass- und Gewichtsreformen in Deutschland im 19. Jahrhundert ... (2010) p.58