UK, 1890: Price Peak

English speculators moved on the Russian market in May, 1890 and then a large French electrical concern paid a then-record wholesale price in the Summer of 1890.

Global Platinum market-prices elsewhere followed almost immediately, within weeks.

May, 1890: 1 Troy Ounce Platinum (Mkt) ~ £ 2.90? (USD$ 14.17)
October, 1890: 1 Troy Oz. Platinum (Mkt) = £ 4.20 (USD$ 20.41)
November, 1890: 1 Troy Oz. Platinum (Mkt) = £ 3.25 (USD$ 15.80)
 
June, 1890: The price of photographers' platino-salts had nearly doubled in a couple of months.

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

June 13 1890 notice, presumably in a Circular or Price Current of June 1890 Burgoygne, Burbridges &  Monthly Magazine of Pharmacy, Chemistry, Medicine, &c.
 



Citation: The Electrical Review, Vol. 37, No. 930, 9/30/1895, p.358


Reprinting an October 1890 article from The Electrician:



October 1890:  1 Ozt. Platinum (Scrap?) = £ 2.50 (USD$ )

October 1890: 
Citation: Chemist and Druggist: The Newsweekly for Pharmacy, Vol. 39 (7/4/1891) p.13
 

January, 1891: 1 Ozt. Platinum (Scrap?) = £ 2.50 (USD$ )



DSQ
Mid 1889 price quote:

Mid? 1889: 1 Ozt. platina (Australia: Ore) = £ 1.40 - 1.50 (USD$ )

Citation: Annual Report; New South Wales. Dept. of Mines 6/25/1891



May, 1889: 1 Troy Ounce Platinum (Mkt) = £ 1.60 (USD$ 7.78)
October, 1890: 1 Troy Ounce Platinum (Mkt) = £ 4.15 (USD$ 19.96)




October 1890 Event:


1898: Assessment of the 1890 Platinum Peak: "...a combination bulled the market..."


October 1890: Platinum Thefts Noted


Base Metals Market, Sept. - Nov. 1890: Late October peak




c.1890/1:
Cost of refining platina, per Troy Oz. = £ 0.0625 - 0.1250 (USD$ 0.30 - 0.61)

Citation: Economic mining: a practical handbook for the miner, the metallurgist... ; Charles George Warnford Lock (1895) p.587
 

c. July 1890 Swan-Edison Platinum purchase rate, at £ 3.0
November 1892 Swan-Edison Platinum purchase rate, at £ 1.50

  

Numismatics:

1838 Victoria, Platinum, Eimer 1315, 36.5 mm, ~33.9 g
1838 Victoria, 24k Gold, Eimer 1315, 36.5 mm, ~31.5 g
1838 Victoria, Silver, Eimer 1315, 37 mm, 21.7 g


April 28, 1890:

March? 1890: 1 Troy Oz. Platinum (London Mkt) = £ 1.60 (USD$ 7.78)

May, 1890: 1 Troy Oz. Platinum (Russia: Refined) = £ 0.608 (16.417 руб)

June, 1890: 1 Troy Oz. Platinum (Germany: Refined) = £ 2.875 (ℳ 59.10)
c.August, 1890: 1 Troy Oz. Platinum (USA: Semi-Mfg, Trade) = £ 3.92 (USD$ 19.20) 

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

UK, 1879: Dentist Catalogue Prices (Pt & Pd)

1879: 1 Troy Oz. platina (London, bulk) ~ £ 1.15 (USD$ 5.58)

1879: 1 Troy Ounce Platinum (bulk)  = £ 1.60 (USD$ 7.46) 
1879: 1 Ozt. Platinum (Semi-Mfg., Catalogue)  = £ 1.70 (USD$ 7.93) 
1879: 1 Ozt. Platinum (Mfg., Catalogue)  ~ £ 1.75 (USD$ 8.16)
1879: 1 Ozt. Platinum (Mfg., Catalogue)  ~ £ 1.85 (USD$ 8.63)

1879: 

Citation: Electric light, its production and use. John W. Urquhart, Ed. F.C. Webb (1880)



c.1879:



 




c.February, 1879: 1 Ozt. Irido-Platinum (Semi-Mfg.)= £ 1.75 (USD$ 8.16)

March 1879: 10% Ir/90% Pt ? ingot 7.43 Ozt cost £ 13.

Adam Hilger, a British manufacturer of spectroscopes:  " "Iridium-platinum," he writes in March 1879, " is a very fine metal, but rather very dear. You may easily calculate what a small mirror of one or more inches would cost, as the ounce of it is charged thirty-five shillings ! The specific gravity is about the same as platina. A piece I bought the other day, {1/8th?} inch thick by 1.5 inch square, rather full in size, came to £13. I almost fainted at such an awful price : still it was ordered, and I had to pay for it. So far as polish is concerned, it does get as white and bright as...

Resale: Dispensing Beam-Balance Scale, with Platinum pans (£ 3.50 retail) all for £ 2.50 



1880: 1 Troy Ounce Platinum (NYC: semi-refined, whols.) = £ 1.72 

Citation: Negretti & Zambra's Encyclopaedic Illustrated and Descriptive Reference ...Negretti & Zambra (c.1879) 

A minor price spike apparently occurred in 1879, as Edison and other industrialist raced to accumulate the metal in scrap & ore. 

The  Platinum-Iridium Alloy was 90% Pt/10% Ir: Platinum was £ 59.50/Kg.


1879: 1 Troy Oz. Platino-Iridium (Mfg., Catalogue) = £ 1.87 (USD$ 8.70)
1879: 1 Troy Oz. Platinum (Mfg: Intrinsic) = £ 1.75
1879: 1 Troy Oz. Iridium (Mfg.) = £ 2.91
 
Citation: Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, Vol. 49 ; Asiatic Society of Bengal (1880) p.63



c.1879: 1 Troy Oz. Platinum (Semi-Mfg) = £ 1.60-1.95 (USD$ 7.46-9.46)

c.1879: 1 Troy Oz. Palladium (Dental Alloy ??) = £ 1.30-1.40 (USD$ 6.31-7.69)

c.1879: 1 Troy Oz. Palladium (Dental Alloy ??) = £ 1.39 -1.83 (USD$ 6.5-8.0)

Citation: A Catalogue of Artificial Teeth, Dental Materials, Instruments, Tools ... Claudius Ash & Sons (1880)








January, 1879: 

A complete set of mineral teeth (14x2= 28, manufactured) cost £ 2. to the trade, £ 3. - 3.50 retail. Markup, 33-75%. Where 28 mineral teeth retail (unmanufactured) cost £ 4.90, £ 7. (Ag),  £ 10.50 (Pt), £ 14. (18k = .750 Fine Au) by extrapolation, the retail price for a complete Set of mineral teeth on Vulcanite:

in Silver: wholesale £ 3.40 - 3.50 ; retail £ 4.60 - 5.0
in Platinum wholesale £ 4.50 ; retail £ 6.50 - 7.50
in Gold wholesale £ 4.50 ; retail £ 8.50 - 10.

 
Platinum teeth were advertised 25% cheaper than 1867.

Later on, dental alloys usually contained little Gold or Platinum, yet still matched (or slightly discounted) the Platinum price. In this way, dentists were accustomed to substituting Platinum or Palladium for Gold in their industrial purposes. Psychologically, this may have supported this particular industrial Price/Demand.

1878:Unknown percentage of Pt & Au

1904: