Year by year, in 2025 prices
| Year | £1 | 1 shilling | 1 penny | £100 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1870 | £167.22 | £8.36 | £0.70 | £16,722 |
| 1871 | £165.48 | £8.27 | £0.69 | £16,548 |
| 1872 | £158.86 | £7.94 | £0.66 | £15,886 |
| 1873 | £152.75 | £7.64 | £0.64 | £15,275 |
| 1874 | £158.86 | £7.94 | £0.66 | £15,886 |
| 1875 | £162.10 | £8.11 | £0.68 | £16,210 |
| 1876 | £162.10 | £8.11 | £0.68 | £16,210 |
| 1877 | £163.77 | £8.19 | £0.68 | £16,377 |
| 1878 | £167.22 | £8.36 | £0.70 | £16,722 |
| 1879 | £174.57 | £8.73 | £0.73 | £17,457 |
Money in the 1870s
From the mid-1870s cheap grain from America began to arrive in huge quantities, starting a long fall in prices that lasted for twenty years.
Prices fell about 4% between 1870 and 1879. 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 1870s 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 1870 worth today?
About £167.22 in 2025 prices, based on the ONS composite price index.
How much was £1 in 1875 worth today?
About £162.10 in 2025 prices.
How much was a shilling in 1875 worth today?
About £8.11. A shilling was 1/20 of a pound, or 5p in decimal money.