Year by year, in 2025 prices
| Year | £1 | 1 shilling | 1 penny | £100 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1850 | £189.12 | £9.46 | £0.79 | £18,912 |
| 1851 | £196.12 | £9.81 | £0.82 | £19,612 |
| 1852 | £196.12 | £9.81 | £0.82 | £19,612 |
| 1853 | £178.49 | £8.92 | £0.74 | £17,849 |
| 1854 | £155.75 | £7.79 | £0.65 | £15,575 |
| 1855 | £151.30 | £7.56 | £0.63 | £15,130 |
| 1856 | £151.30 | £7.56 | £0.63 | £15,130 |
| 1857 | £158.86 | £7.94 | £0.66 | £15,886 |
| 1858 | £174.57 | £8.73 | £0.73 | £17,457 |
| 1859 | £176.51 | £8.83 | £0.74 | £17,651 |
Money in the 1850s
The Great Exhibition of 1851 showed off Victorian Britain at its most confident. The Crimean War (1853–56) briefly pushed prices up.
Prices rose about 7% between 1850 and 1859. These figures compare the cost of everyday goods and services. Wages, house prices and the size of the economy all grew at different rates, so a 1850s salary or fortune would look bigger still if compared with what people earn or own today.
Source: Office for National Statistics composite price index (CDKO), Open Government Licence v3.0. Figures are rounded.
Other decades: 1800s · 1810s · 1820s · 1830s · 1840s · 1850s · 1860s · 1870s · 1880s · 1890s · 1900s · 1910s · 1920s · 1930s · 1940s · 1950s · 1960s · 1970s
Common questions
How much was £1 in 1850 worth today?
About £189.12 in 2025 prices, based on the ONS composite price index.
How much was £1 in 1855 worth today?
About £151.30 in 2025 prices.
How much was a shilling in 1855 worth today?
About £7.56. A shilling was 1/20 of a pound, or 5p in decimal money.