Colombia, 1878

Robert Blake White was resident 17 years in Colombia ; he voyaged up the River Atrato in 1878.  As reported to the Royal Geographical Society five years later, the local quote for Colombian platina was nearly half the London market price for imported ore.  (The actual bulk price paid to small local producers, in trade goods, was likely about half the Source Spot; merchant trade set the market, not specie.)

Where the Colombian peso = 4s. but export transaction were estimated in Fr. 5 (Ag coin units), platina ore @82.5% from Chocó cost a maximum:

Per Libra (14.792 Ozt.) ~ C$ 44.50 (£ 8.75; Fr. 222.50; USD$ 42.95), or 
Per Kilogram (32.15 Ozt) C$ 96.5 (£ 19.; Fr. 482.50; USD$ 93.)

1878: 1 Troy Oz. platina (Nóvita Spot: 82.5% Ore) = C$ 3.  
(Fr. 15., ~£ 0.60 ; USD$ 2.90)

1878: 1 Troy Oz. Pt (Nóvita Spot: .999 Ore) = C$ 3.64 

(Fr. 18.18, ~£ 0.73 ; USD$ 3.52)

1878: 1 Troy Oz. platina (Colombian .999, w/postage) ~ C.$ 4.311 (USD$ 3.601)

The Mexican re-export rate was 44% higher than the Colombian Source-Price.
 

1878: 1 Troy Oz. platina (Mexico: ore, re-export) = $ 3.24

1878: 1 Troy Oz. platina (Rus ore: London, bulk) ~ £ 0.96 (USD$ 5.)

1878: 1 Troy Oz. platina (London, whols.) ~ £ 1.13 (USD$ 5.50)

Citation: Proceedings of the Royal Geographical Society and Monthly Record ..., Vol. 5 (May, 1883) p.258

The Colombian platina purity was rated 89%



Postage: Apparently, postage to NYC was (C$ 0.34 + 0.60)  ~C$ 0.94 per Ounce.




Ecuador, 1877/8

Citation: Geografía y geología del Ecuador; publicada por órden del supremo gobierno ...Theodor Wolf (1892)

UK, 1907

1907: 1 Troy Ounce Platinum (mkt, est.) ~ £ 5.

1907: 1 Troy Oz. platina (Russia, bulk ore cost) = £1.5375
1907: 1 Troy Oz. Platinum Refining Cost = £0.075

January 1907: 1 Troy Oz. platina (Russia, 82% ore) = £5.946
January 1907: 1 Troy Oz. platina (Ru, pure) = £7.326

January, 1907: 1 Troy Oz. Platinum (Mkt) = £ 7.50 (USD$ )
January, 1907: 1 Troy Oz. Platinum (Mkt) = £ 7. (USD$ )
February, 1907: 1 Troy Oz. Platinum (Mkt) = £ 6.975 (USD$ ) 
March, 1907: 1 Troy Oz. Platinum (Mkt) = £ 6.95 (USD$ )
April, 1907: 1 Troy Oz. Platinum (Mkt) = £ 6.93 (USD$ )
June, 1907: 1 Troy Oz. Platinum (Mkt) = £ 5. (USD$ )
August, 1907: 1 Troy Oz. Platinum (Mkt) = £ 5. (USD$ )

Citation: The Mineral Industry, Vol. 17, 1909 p.314

January 1907:





June, 1907:

July, 1907:


Aug 1907:


August 1907:





Citation: Saturday Review of Politics, Literature, Science and Art, Vol. 103 June 29, 1907 p.825

UK, 1907: Numismatic Sale, Pt Roubles

In June 1907 the US market price for regular ingot was USD$ 26.20 ozt. (£ 5.30) ; scrap was $ 20.30 (£ 4.21) Where ingot was 85% pure,

June 1907:  1 Troy Ounce Platinum (US whols. mkt, .999) ~ £ 6.33 

Where the 12-Rouble Coin and 6-Rouble Coin weighed 1.3292 ozt. (638 Grains Troy)  and .6655 ozt, respectively, the August 1907 price for the "fine and scarce date" 6-Rouble Coin sold without numismatic value at the refined market price. 

The numismatic premium for the somewhat rare 1837 12-Rouble Coin at auction was ~ 45%. At that same rate by rarity, in 1907 the 1839 12-Rouble ought to have sold for ~ £ 83., a premium of 1,200%. 

About 100 years later, UBS Gold & Numismatics (Auction 50, Feb 1, 2001) actually sold a 1839 12-Rouble for $60,500 (equivalent to $45,517/ozt.) or a premium of 7,436% over the intrinsic value  (Pt = USD$ 604./ozt.)

http://www.ubs.com/global/en/about_ubs/about_us/news/news.html/fr/2001/01/15/news_15_01_2001.html

1907: 1 Troy Oz. Platinum (London, numismatic) = £6.3950 (USD$ 31.12)
1907: 1 Troy Oz. Platinum (London, numismatic) = £ 9.2036 (USD$ 44.79)

Citation: Auction sale prices: Supplement to The Connoisseur ..., Volumes 9-10 Sept 1907 p.469

December 1906 Sale of rare pattern


Citation: American Journal of Numismatics, Vol. 42 Ed Charles Edward Anthon p.28

USA, 1848: California Gold-Rush

Republished from the "late issue" (presumably December?) 1848 Bank Note List.

c. 1848: 1 Troy Oz. Platinum (NYC: Scrap, Bid) = $ 6.70

Citation: Merchants' Magazine and Commercial Review, Vol. 20, No.2; Freeman Hunt, p.230


1846: Fine Horse, $20. News of Gold Discovery, mid-February 1848.  Breakfast in San Francisco $0.25

April-June, 1848: California inflation of Gold-yield instruments, 10x



Mid-August, 1848:
Gold-Dust $3./ozt at the mines; $16./ozt at Monterrey& towns Gold-Dust $12./ozt; $16./trade; Specimen Gold $10./ozt @ mines



September, 1848: Average Yield = 1ozt. Gold-Dust/day; Breakfast @ boarding, $21.50;
breakfast at mines $5.





Sept. 1848: Flour, $36/bbl; pick, pan & shovel $50. ; Horse $200. -400.
Serapes: $60.-100. ; calico $100./yard
Mid-September $100 pick-axe



October-November, 1848: Gold-Dust $0.50-1./ozt at the mines

Late 1848-Early 1849:  Gold-Dust $6./trade


Mid-December 1848:
 

1848 Estimation:


Various: 
Early 1848, $4. - 5./ozt. at the mines, $6.- 8./ozt in the towns


Late 1848, $6./ozt. at the mines, $8./ozt in the towns1849, $10./ozt at the mines, $14./ozt. in the towns; other wages, $16. - $40./day
Doctor's visit ~4 ozt.; Quinine $10./grain

Coins: premium of 15%-20%
Waiters paid $4.77-5.41/day; clerks ~$8./day

1852: $16./ozt at the mines; $18. at the Mint














1848: 1 Troy Oz. Fine Gold (Coined?) = $ 20.75



Circa 1847-8, California Gold was so plentiful and material so scarce that absurd prices (in gold) for everyday commodities appeared in mining communities of the hinterlands.

These circumstance were almost identical to travelers' reports of ridiculously high prices in Choco, Colombia. In both locales, platina was often thrown away.

Citation: The Rambler: a catholic journal and review of home and foreign literature (1849)

Citation: Chambers's journal, Vols 11-12; William Chambers, Robert Chambers

Citation: Niles' Weekly Register, Vol. 74 December 1848 p.411

 

December 1848: 1 Troy Oz. Fine Gold (Bullion, bar) = $ 18.4910

Citation: The Bankers Magazine, Vol. 3

 

c. 1848/9: Platinum Coins grossly overvalued.
 


Passage from UK to USA: 2 weeks

Borneo, 1832

1831: 1 Troy Ounce Gold (Borneo, mkt.) ~ £ 4.3213


Citation: The Edinburgh New Philosophical Journal, Vol. 33 Ed. Robert Jameson, et al. p.284




Citation: North American geologic formation names : bibliography, synonymy ... Fred Boughton Weeks, p.182

UK, 1905

1905: 1 Troy Ounce Platinum (bulk, mkt) = £ 4.5167 (USD$ 21.99)
1905: 1 Troy Oz. platina (Ural Spot, 82%) = £ 4.3875 (USD$ 21.364)
1905: 1 Troy Oz. platina (Ural Spot, at purity) = £ 5.3506 (USD$ 26.05)

June 1905: 1 Troy Ounce Platinum (bulk, mkt) = USD$ 20.50 (£ 4.21)

Citation: The Mineral Industry, Vol. 17, 1909 p.314


October 1905:

Where Pistrucci's 1838 Coronation Medal in Gold was valued at £ 4.99/Ozt when London Spot Gold was £ 4.244, the numismatic premium on an 1838 Pistrucci Medal was 17.52%.

It appears the same premium on an 1838 Pistrucci Platinum Medal was ~38.8%.

October 1905: 1 Troy Oz. Platinum (Mkt)  ~ £ 7.983 ()
October 1905: 1 Troy Oz. Platinum (Medal, Numismatic)  ~ £ 11.

October 1905: Est. 33.9 g Platinum Medal (Numismatic) = £ 12.

1838 UK Coronation Proof:

 
Generic:
 

1905: Australian production

Russia, 1892

1892: 1 Troy Oz. platina (Ural Contract: 83% ore) =13.29 руб
1892: 1 Troy Oz. Pt (Contract @ .999) =16.01 руб
1892: Russian Refiner's Cost @210 руб/Poud = 0.3987 руб 
1892: 1 Troy Oz. Platinum (SPb: Refined Poud) =16.413 руб
 
Citation: The Mineral Industry, Vol. 7 (1899) p.570


1892: 1 Troy Oz. platina (Russia, export: crude ingot?) ~ USD$ 3.80

(US govt estimate, from Silver Rouble, @$0.10)
Citation: Monthly Summary of Commerce and Finance of the United States (1899) p. 2587

USA, 1938

1938: 1 Troy Ounce Platinum (Intrinsic) = $ 35.90

Citation: Statistical Abstract of the United States (1941) p.799