1900 Penny
Value of $1 from 1900 to 2021
$1 in 1900 is equivalent in purchasing power to about $31.01 today, an increase of $30.01 over 121 years.The dollar had an average inflation rate of 2.88% per year between 1900 and today, producing a cumulative price increase of 3,000.88%.
This means that today's prices are31.01 times higher thanaverage prices since 1900,according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics consumer price index.A dollar today only buys 3.22% of what it could buy back then.
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1900 Penny Value
- 1900 penny, usual condition for a coin of this age. 0 bids Ending 7 Feb at 10:00AM GMT 6d 17h. VICTORIAN PENNY 1860 - OLD CURRENCY.
- 1900 Indian Head cents are extremely common and are often found in mixed-date rolls and bags of Indian Head cents. They’re also found at most coin shops that handle 19th- and 20th-century U.S. Coin collectors often pursue 1900 pennies for type sets as well as to complete series collections of Indian Head pennies.
- The 1900 Indian Head Penny is extremely attractive to collectors simply because it is the coin that bridges two centuries of Indian Head production. Even in poor condition, these coins will go for a price that far exceeds face value.
The 1900 inflation rate was 1.20%. The current year-over-year inflation rate (2020 to 2021) is now 1.36%1.If this number holds, $1 today will be equivalent in buying power to $1.01 next year.The current inflation rate page gives more detail on the latest inflation rates.
| Cumulative price change | 3,000.88% |
| Average inflation rate | 2.88% |
| Converted amount ($1 base) | $31.01 |
| Price difference ($1 base) | $30.01 |
| CPI in 1900 | 8.400 |
| CPI in 2021 | 260.474 |
| Inflation in 1900 | 1.20% |
| Inflation in 2021 | 1.36% |
| $1 in 1900 | $31.01 in 2021 |
Buying power of $1 in 1900
This chart shows a calculation of buying power equivalence for $1 in 1900 (price index tracking began in 1635).
For example, if you started with $1, you would need to end with $31.01 in order to 'adjust' for inflation (sometimes refered to as 'beating inflation').
When $1 is equivalent to $31.01 over time, that means that the 'real value' of a single U.S. dollar decreases over time. In other words, a dollar will pay for fewer items at the store.
This effect explains how inflation erodes the value of a dollar over time. By calculating the value in 1900 dollars, the chart below shows how $1 is worth less over 121 years.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, each of these USD amounts below is equal in terms of what it could buy at the time:
| Year | Dollar Value | Inflation Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1900 | $1.00 | 1.20% |
| 1901 | $1.01 | 1.19% |
| 1902 | $1.02 | 1.18% |
| 1903 | $1.05 | 2.33% |
| 1904 | $1.06 | 1.14% |
| 1905 | $1.05 | -1.12% |
| 1906 | $1.07 | 2.27% |
| 1907 | $1.12 | 4.44% |
| 1908 | $1.10 | -2.13% |
| 1909 | $1.08 | -1.09% |
| 1910 | $1.13 | 4.40% |
| 1911 | $1.13 | 0.00% |
| 1912 | $1.15 | 2.11% |
| 1913 | $1.18 | 2.06% |
| 1914 | $1.19 | 1.01% |
| 1915 | $1.20 | 1.00% |
| 1916 | $1.30 | 7.92% |
| 1917 | $1.52 | 17.43% |
| 1918 | $1.80 | 17.97% |
| 1919 | $2.06 | 14.57% |
| 1920 | $2.38 | 15.61% |
| 1921 | $2.13 | -10.50% |
| 1922 | $2.00 | -6.15% |
| 1923 | $2.04 | 1.79% |
| 1924 | $2.04 | 0.00% |
| 1925 | $2.08 | 2.34% |
| 1926 | $2.11 | 1.14% |
| 1927 | $2.07 | -1.69% |
| 1928 | $2.04 | -1.72% |
| 1929 | $2.04 | 0.00% |
| 1930 | $1.99 | -2.34% |
| 1931 | $1.81 | -8.98% |
| 1932 | $1.63 | -9.87% |
| 1933 | $1.55 | -5.11% |
| 1934 | $1.60 | 3.08% |
| 1935 | $1.63 | 2.24% |
| 1936 | $1.65 | 1.46% |
| 1937 | $1.71 | 3.60% |
| 1938 | $1.68 | -2.08% |
| 1939 | $1.65 | -1.42% |
| 1940 | $1.67 | 0.72% |
| 1941 | $1.75 | 5.00% |
| 1942 | $1.94 | 10.88% |
| 1943 | $2.06 | 6.13% |
| 1944 | $2.10 | 1.73% |
| 1945 | $2.14 | 2.27% |
| 1946 | $2.32 | 8.33% |
| 1947 | $2.65 | 14.36% |
| 1948 | $2.87 | 8.07% |
| 1949 | $2.83 | -1.24% |
| 1950 | $2.87 | 1.26% |
| 1951 | $3.10 | 7.88% |
| 1952 | $3.15 | 1.92% |
| 1953 | $3.18 | 0.75% |
| 1954 | $3.20 | 0.75% |
| 1955 | $3.19 | -0.37% |
| 1956 | $3.24 | 1.49% |
| 1957 | $3.35 | 3.31% |
| 1958 | $3.44 | 2.85% |
| 1959 | $3.46 | 0.69% |
| 1960 | $3.52 | 1.72% |
| 1961 | $3.56 | 1.01% |
| 1962 | $3.60 | 1.00% |
| 1963 | $3.64 | 1.32% |
| 1964 | $3.69 | 1.31% |
| 1965 | $3.75 | 1.61% |
| 1966 | $3.86 | 2.86% |
| 1967 | $3.98 | 3.09% |
| 1968 | $4.14 | 4.19% |
| 1969 | $4.37 | 5.46% |
| 1970 | $4.62 | 5.72% |
| 1971 | $4.82 | 4.38% |
| 1972 | $4.98 | 3.21% |
| 1973 | $5.29 | 6.22% |
| 1974 | $5.87 | 11.04% |
| 1975 | $6.40 | 9.13% |
| 1976 | $6.77 | 5.76% |
| 1977 | $7.21 | 6.50% |
| 1978 | $7.76 | 7.59% |
| 1979 | $8.64 | 11.35% |
| 1980 | $9.81 | 13.50% |
| 1981 | $10.82 | 10.32% |
| 1982 | $11.49 | 6.16% |
| 1983 | $11.86 | 3.21% |
| 1984 | $12.37 | 4.32% |
| 1985 | $12.81 | 3.56% |
| 1986 | $13.05 | 1.86% |
| 1987 | $13.52 | 3.65% |
| 1988 | $14.08 | 4.14% |
| 1989 | $14.76 | 4.82% |
| 1990 | $15.56 | 5.40% |
| 1991 | $16.21 | 4.21% |
| 1992 | $16.70 | 3.01% |
| 1993 | $17.20 | 2.99% |
| 1994 | $17.64 | 2.56% |
| 1995 | $18.14 | 2.83% |
| 1996 | $18.68 | 2.95% |
| 1997 | $19.11 | 2.29% |
| 1998 | $19.40 | 1.56% |
| 1999 | $19.83 | 2.21% |
| 2000 | $20.50 | 3.36% |
| 2001 | $21.08 | 2.85% |
| 2002 | $21.42 | 1.58% |
| 2003 | $21.90 | 2.28% |
| 2004 | $22.49 | 2.66% |
| 2005 | $23.25 | 3.39% |
| 2006 | $24.00 | 3.23% |
| 2007 | $24.68 | 2.85% |
| 2008 | $25.63 | 3.84% |
| 2009 | $25.54 | -0.36% |
| 2010 | $25.96 | 1.64% |
| 2011 | $26.78 | 3.16% |
| 2012 | $27.33 | 2.07% |
| 2013 | $27.73 | 1.46% |
| 2014 | $28.18 | 1.62% |
| 2015 | $28.22 | 0.12% |
| 2016 | $28.57 | 1.26% |
| 2017 | $29.18 | 2.13% |
| 2018 | $29.91 | 2.49% |
| 2019 | $30.44 | 1.76% |
| 2020 | $30.81 | 1.23% |
| 2021 | $31.01 | 0.64%* |
This conversion table shows various other 1900 amounts in today's dollars, based on the 3,000.88% change in prices:
| Initial value | Equivalent value |
|---|---|
| $1dollarin 1900 | $31.01dollarstoday |
| $5dollarsin 1900 | $155.04dollarstoday |
| $10dollarsin 1900 | $310.09dollarstoday |
| $50dollarsin 1900 | $1,550.44dollarstoday |
| $100 dollarsin 1900 | $3,100.88dollarstoday |
| $500dollarsin 1900 | $15,504.40dollarstoday |
| $1,000dollarsin 1900 | $31,008.81dollarstoday |
| $5,000dollarsin 1900 | $155,044.05dollarstoday |
| $10,000dollarsin 1900 | $310,088.10dollarstoday |
| $50,000dollarsin 1900 | $1,550,440.48dollarstoday |
| $100,000dollarsin 1900 | $3,100,880.95dollarstoday |
| $500,000dollarsin 1900 | $15,504,404.76dollarstoday |
| $1,000,000dollarsin 1900 | $31,008,809.52dollarstoday |
Inflation by Spending Category
CPI is the weighted combination of many categories of spending that are tracked by the government. Breaking down these categories helps explain the main drivers behind price changes. This chart shows the average rate of inflation for select CPI categories between 1900 and 2021.
Compare these values to the overall average of 2.88% per year:
| Category | Avg Inflation (%) | Total Inflation (%) | $1 in 1900 → 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Food and beverages | 3.91 | 10,219.91 | 103.20 |
| Housing | 4.19 | 14,335.93 | 144.36 |
| Apparel | 1.95 | 938.99 | 10.39 |
| Transportation | 3.17 | 4,258.91 | 43.59 |
| Medical care | 4.73 | 26,765.83 | 268.66 |
| Recreation | 1.11 | 280.32 | 3.80 |
| Education and communication | 1.85 | 820.30 | 9.20 |
| Other goods and services | 4.99 | 36,010.19 | 361.10 |
The graph below compares inflation in categories of goods over time. Click on a category such as 'Food' to toggle it on or off:
For all these visualizations, it's important to note that not all categories may have been tracked since 1900. This table and charts use the earliest available data for each category.
Inflation rates of specific categories
Medical Care· Housing· Rent· Food· MoreInflation-adjusted measures
S&P 500 price·S&P 500 earnings·Shiller P/EHow to Calculate Inflation Rate for $1 since 1900
Our calculations use the following inflation rate formula to calculate the change in value between 1900 and today:
Then plug in historical CPI values. The U.S. CPI was 8.4 in the year 1900 and 260.474 in 2021:
$1 in 1900 has the same 'purchasing power' or 'buying power' as $31.01 in 2021.
To get the total inflation rate for the 121 years between 1900 and 2021, we use the following formula:
Plugging in the values to this equation, we get:
1900 Penny Coins
Comparison to S&P 500 Index
The average inflation rate of 2.88% has a compounding effect between 1900 and 2021. As noted above, this yearly inflation rate compounds to produce an overall price difference of 3,000.88% over 121 years.
To help put this inflation into perspective, if we had invested $1 in the S&P 500 index in 1900, our investment would be nominally worth approximately $83,092.05 in 2021. This is a return on investment of 8,309,104.60%, with an absolute return of $83,091.05 on top of the original $1.
These numbers are not inflation adjusted, so they are considered nominal. In order to evaluate the real return on our investment, we must calculate the return with inflation taken into account.
The compounding effect of inflation would account for 96.78% of returns ($80,412.42) during this period. This means the inflation-adjusted real return of our $1 investment is $2,678.63. You may also want to account for capital gains tax, which would take your real return down to around $2,277 for most people.
| Original Amount | Final Amount | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominal | $1 | $83,092.05 | 8,309,104.60% |
| Real Inflation Adjusted | $1 | $2,679.63 | 267,862.71% |
Information displayed above may differ slightly from other S&P 500 calculators. Minor discrepancies can occur because we use the latest CPI data for inflation, annualized inflation numbers for previous years, and we compute S&P price and dividends from January of 1900 to latest available data for 2021 using average monthly close price.
For more details on the S&P 500 between 1900 and 2021, see the stock market returns calculator.
News headlines from 1900
Politics and news often influence economic performance. Here's what was happening at the time:
- Britain establishes the protectorates of Northern Nigeria and Southern Nigeria.
- America announces the Open Door Policy to promote trade with China.
- The US Congress passes the Currency Act, establishing the gold standard.
- Dutch botanist and geneticist Hugo de Vries rediscovers Mendel's law of genetics
- Under pressure from Japan, Korea denies Russia access to Masampo Port, leading to a war between Russia and Japan.
Raw data for these calculations comes fromthe Bureau of Labor Statistics'Consumer Price Index(CPI), established in 1913. Inflation data from 1665 to1912 is sourced from a historical study conducted by political scienceprofessor Robert Sahr at Oregon State University.
You may use the following MLA citation for this page:“$1 in 1900 → 2021 Inflation Calculator.” Official Inflation Data, Alioth Finance, 3 Feb. 2021, https://www.officialdata.org/us/inflation/1900?amount=1.
Special thanks to QuickChart for their chart image API, which is used for chart downloads.
in2013dollars.com is a reference website maintained by the Official Data Foundation.
- 1900 Indian Head Pennies
Coin Info
1900 Penny Value Today
1900 Indian Head cents are extremely common and are often found in mixed-date rolls and bags of Indian Head cents. They’re also found at most coin shops that handle 19th- and 20th-century U.S. coinage. Coin collectors often pursue 1900 pennies for type sets as well as to complete series collections of Indian Head pennies.
1900 Indian Head cents were made in large numbers, with 66,831,502 business strikes produced. Examples of 1900 pennies in a grade of Good-4 retail for $2 each. In addition to the 66+ million business strikes, 2,262 proof specimens were struck, and these retail for $1,275.
1900 Penny Price
James B. Longacre designed 1900 Indian Head pennies. Interestingly, an “Indian” doesn’t actually appear on this penny at all. In fact, the bust that is featured on the obverse of the coin is actually the figure of Miss Liberty. Longacre’s daughter, Sarah, was the model for the coin. The story goes that she and her dad were meeting with a Native American, who playfully placed his traditional headdress atop the young girl’s head. Amused, her coin designer father sketched the scene to show his wife. As a sidenote, Longacre also designed the U.S. two-cent piece, which in 1864 became the first coin to bear the motto IN GOD WE TRUST.