catfishmo Posted 28 March , 2015 Share Posted 28 March , 2015 I'm trying to get a ballpark idea how much a ladies dress would have cost in France in 1917. I found a (workable price for a) dress in 1920 was $10. Since my character is above average, I'll assume she spent that equivalent in France in 1917. So how many francs did it take to make $10? I'm assuming franc are bills/notes. (Did they have coins worth a franc as well?) But I have no idea what denominations the bills/notes came in (1's, 5's, 10's??) and how many francs were equivalent to $10. One site I saw led me to conclude a franc was equivalent to $ .20 (yes, that's 20 cents). Does that sound anywhere near right? I know it is hard to give a firm number as French currency lost a lot of its buying power during the war. But some VERY ballparkish figure would be very helpful. I know from Goodbye to All That a franc = 8 shillings back then. Just for grins, I found this site that details the cost of each piece of a Doughboy's uniform and kit. ~Ginger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnboy Posted 28 March , 2015 Share Posted 28 March , 2015 http://www.gjenvick.com/Military/WorldWarOne/FrenchCurrency/1916-FrenchCurrencyUsedByWWISoldiers.html#axzz3VfOGPjvJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dai Bach y Sowldiwr Posted 28 March , 2015 Share Posted 28 March , 2015 (edited) Between 1914-1918, you got about $5 to the pound. So, the USD was worth about 20p (or 4 shillings as it was then 4/0d). A franc was 8/0d (=$2), so a 50 centimes was 4/0d=$1, not 10 cents as that site states. (If the conversion rates quoted are correct!) Something wrong with the maths here: During the years 1914-1918- $1 was worth £ 0.21 approx as previously stated, meaning that £1 was worth $4.78 $1 was worth FF5.5 approx, meaning that £1 was worth about FF26.3 So Edited 22 November , 2017 by Dai Bach y Sowldiwr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catfishmo Posted 28 March , 2015 Author Share Posted 28 March , 2015 http://www.gjenvick.com/Military/WorldWarOne/FrenchCurrency/1916-FrenchCurrencyUsedByWWISoldiers.html#axzz3VfOGPjvJ Yes, this was the site that led me to conclude 1 franc = .20 see attachment. (file was too big to capture entire note). I guess I am so used to the dollar being worth so little in exchange for European currency, this seemed odd. From our other discussion regarding exchange rate and brothels then a Doughboy's visit to a brothel cost $2. I sure hope that $2 bought that prostitute more than it will buy her today! ~Ginger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catfishmo Posted 28 March , 2015 Author Share Posted 28 March , 2015 Between 1914-1918, you got about $5 to the pound. So, the USD was worth about 20p (or 4 shillings as it was then 4/0d). A franc was 8/0d (=$2), so a 50 centimes was 4/0d=$1, not 10 cents as that site states. (If the conversion rates quoted are correct!) Do you have a source for the $5 to a pound conversion? Thanks. What a puzzle! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dai Bach y Sowldiwr Posted 28 March , 2015 Share Posted 28 March , 2015 Hi. This is where I got the £1= $5 figure from: http://measuringworth.com/datasets/exchangeglobal/result.php?year_source=1791&year_result=2007&countryE[]=United+Kingdom That gives the 1914 value of a dollar as just over 4/0½d, 1918 as just over 4/2¼d. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catfishmo Posted 28 March , 2015 Author Share Posted 28 March , 2015 Hi. This is where I got the £1= $5 figure from: http://measuringworth.com/datasets/exchangeglobal/result.php?year_source=1791&year_result=2007&countryE[]=United+Kingdom That gives the 1914 value of a dollar as just over 4/0½d, 1918 as just over 4/2¼d. Very interesting. Thanks! ~Ginger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dai Bach y Sowldiwr Posted 28 March , 2015 Share Posted 28 March , 2015 I should mention that $1 today (Tourist rates) is worth just a smidge over Thirteen Shillings and Ninepence Three -Farthing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted 21 November , 2017 Share Posted 21 November , 2017 Ginger, I'm the archivist from the GG Archives - the one you referred to in your original comment on the value of French currency during WWI. During the Great War and the years following, the French franc lost much of its value -- the typed monetary value was placed there by my grandfather when he served in France during the war. France had severe currency issues during the war, and the franc was further devalued when it was pegged to the dollar in 1926. The currency on the GG Archives website was emergency notes issued by the Chambre de Commerce from the city of Deux Sevres and unlike other allied currencies after World War I, France decided not to bring the currency back to pre-war value. See http://newworldeconomics.com/foreign-exchange-rates-1913-1941-2-the-currency-upheavals-of-the-interwar-period/ for additional information on the value of emergency French currency during WWI. The French franc took a nosedive from 1914 to 1918 and through 1926, so calculating the value based on a 1914-1918 period, taken as a whole, will not derive an actual value of a French franc at the end of the war. Hope that helps your readers understand the valuation provided on our website (www.gjenvick.com/Military/WorldWarOne/FrenchCurrency/1916-FrenchCurrencyUsedByWWISoldiers.html) Paul Gjenvick, MAS Archivist & Curator Gjenvick-Gjønvik Archives Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mva Posted 21 November , 2017 Share Posted 21 November , 2017 3 hours ago, PKGjenvick said: Chambre de Commerce from the city of Deux Sevres les Deux-Sèvres is not a city, but a département (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deux-Sèvres ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Strawbridge Posted 21 November , 2017 Share Posted 21 November , 2017 The French franc at the time was a coin the same size and silver content as the British shilling. Because of Gresham's Law I would guess that the two were of similar value. A dollar at 4 shillings makes the dress 2 pounds GB or 40 French francs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Clifton Posted 22 November , 2017 Share Posted 22 November , 2017 (edited) The exchange rate in 1914 wa 25.22 French francs to the pound sterling. The same rate applied to the Belgian and Swiss francs, the Italian lira and the Greek drachma, as well as some other European currencies. The silver standard should have ensured that these rates were fairly constant. The US dollar was at about 4 to the pound, hence the British slang "half a dollar" for the half-crown.. Source: British Field Service Pocket Book, 1914. Ron Edited 25 November , 2017 by Ron Clifton Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dai Bach y Sowldiwr Posted 22 November , 2017 Share Posted 22 November , 2017 6 hours ago, Ron Clifton said: The exchange rate in 1914 wa 25.22 French francs to the pound sterling. The same rate aoolied to the Belgian and Swiss francs, the Italian lira and the Greek drachma, as well as some other European currencies. The silver standard should have ensured that these rates were fairly constant. The US dollar was at about 4 to the pound, hence the British slang "half a dollar" for the half-crown.. Source: British Field Service Pocket Book, 1914. Ron I agree with Ron. Please ignore the rubbish I initially posted in post #3, which I have now corrected. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now