Free Genealogy Tool

Free Historical Currency Converter

A historical currency converter estimates what an amount of money from a past year would be worth in another year by adjusting it for the change in consumer prices. Use it to understand the wages, rents, inheritances, and purchases you find in census records, wills, letters, and old family documents.

USD, GBP, CAD, AUD, and EURofficial data through 2025pounds, shillings, and penceprivate in-browser calculation

Step 1

Enter the old amount

Choose a currency, the year on the document, and the year to compare with. Everything is calculated in this browser.

Data covers 1800 to 2025.

A positive number such as 25 or 12.50, as written on the record.

Whole years from 1800 to 2025. 2025 is the latest complete year.

Genealogy examples

Step 2

Estimated purchasing power

About, in 2025 money

$3,870

$100 in 1900 had roughly the same purchasing power as $3,870 in 2025.

Per unit
$1.00 = $38.70
1900 money in 2025 terms
Price level change
3,770%
From 1900 to 2025
Average annual change
2.97% a year
Compound rate between the two years
Index values used
25 to 967.5
US Consumer Price Index, annual average (1967 = 100)
An estimate, not a price quote. This compares what the money could buy in everyday consumer goods, rounded to 3 significant figures because historical index data is approximate. It is not what an old coin or banknote is worth to collectors, its metal or bullion value, an exchange rate, or tax, investment, or legal advice.

About the US dollar series

The US dollar is used for the whole range. Official CPI data begin in 1913; values from 1800 to 1912 are historical cost-of-living estimates compiled by the BLS and should be read as rougher approximations.

Source: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, Consumer Price Index 1800-; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Price Index

Methodology and sources

Each estimate uses one formula: amount × (comparison-year index ÷ source-year index). The index values are annual averages copied from national statistics agencies and central banks and stored in this page, so the same inputs always give the same answer and nothing is fetched while you use it. 2025 is the latest complete year for every series.

Conversions stay within one currency. The tool does not use exchange rates, because a historical exchange rate tells you how currencies traded, not what a family could buy. Results are rounded to 3 significant figures since early index values are themselves estimates.

Supported currencies, years, and data sources
CurrencyYearsSource
United States dollar (USD)1800 to 2025Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, Consumer Price Index 1800-; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Price IndexUS Consumer Price Index, annual average (1967 = 100)
British pound sterling (GBP)1800 to 2025Office for National Statistics, series CDKOONS Retail Prices Index long-run series CDKO (January 1974 = 100)
Canadian dollar (CAD)1914 to 2025Statistics Canada, Table 18-10-0005-01Statistics Canada CPI, all-items, annual average (2002 = 100)
Australian dollar (AUD, pounds before 1966)1923 to 2025Reserve Bank of Australia, statistical table G1ABS / RBA Consumer Price Index, all groups (mean of four quarters)
Euro (EUR, euro area from 1999)1999 to 2025Eurostat, HICP annual data (prc_hicp_aind)Eurostat HICP, euro area (changing composition), annual average (2015 = 100)

Limitations to keep in mind

  • Figures before official price indexes began (1913 in the US, 1947 in the UK, 1948 in Australia) are historians' estimates and are less precise.
  • A national average hides local differences. Rent in a city and prices on a farm could differ a lot from the index.
  • Consumer price indexes compare everyday purchases. To compare incomes, wealth, or the cost of a large project, economists use other measures, such as wage or GDP growth, which give much larger numbers.
  • Sterling amounts before 1971 and Australian amounts before 1966 were in pounds, shillings, and pence. Australia's pound was replaced by the dollar at A$2 = £1 in 1966.

Historical currency converter FAQ

Direct answers about converting old money, pre-decimal amounts, and what the estimates mean.

How does a historical currency converter work?

It multiplies the old amount by the ratio of a consumer price index in the comparison year to the index in the source year. If prices rose 38.7 times between 1900 and 2025, $100 in 1900 is roughly $3,870 in 2025.

Is the result what an old coin or banknote is worth today?

No. The result estimates what the money could buy in everyday goods and services. A physical coin or note may be worth more or less to collectors, and silver or gold coins also have a separate metal value.

How do I convert pounds, shillings, and pence?

Choose British pounds or Australian dollars and a year before decimalisation (1971 in Britain, 1966 in Australia). Separate boxes appear for pounds, shillings, and pence. There were 20 shillings in a pound and 12 pence in a shilling, so 18s is £0.90.

Why can't I convert euros before 1999?

The euro did not exist before 1 January 1999. Earlier amounts were in national currencies such as the Deutsche Mark or French franc, which need that country's own price index and the fixed euro conversion rate.

Why does an old wage still look low after converting it?

Price indexes track the cost of a basket of consumer goods, not incomes. Living standards and average wages rose faster than prices, so a wage can buy the same goods yet still be a much smaller share of a modern income.

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