What $100 in 1970 was worth — measured in gold

The price of gold didn't get more expensive. The value of the US dollar fell.

99.1%

of the US dollar's value, gone — measured in gold, since 1970.
It now takes 116× more dollars to buy the same ounce.

In 1970, $100 bought 2.86 oz of gold at $35.00/oz. Held as metal, that same money is worth $11,552 at today's gold price of $4,043/oz (spot as of 2026-08-02).

Same $100. Three rulers.

Measure	$100 from 1970, today	Multiple
Official story — CPI-U (BLS)	$864	8.6×
Money created — M2 money supply	$3,832	38.3×
In gold — honest weight, valued today	$11,552	116×

The gap between 8.6× (CPI) and 38.3× (M2) is official inflation understating the money actually created. The gap between 38.3× and 116× (gold) is the flight to hard money — gold outrunning even the printing.

1970 in the fiat story

The Gold Pool collapsed in March 1968 and a two-tier market emerged: $35 for governments, whatever the market said for everyone else. The gap between the official story and the honest price was now visible in daily print.

Try your own numbers

The In Gold calculator runs any amount and any year — USD from 1913.

← $100 in 1969 $100 in 1971 →

Method. Gold weight = amount ÷ the gold price of that year; "today" figures rebase the same amount by CPI, money supply, and gold spot. Deterministic — no estimates, no models, no AI in the number path. Annual averages. Sources: FRED CPIAUCNS, FRED M2SL, MeasuringWorth, GoldAPI live spot. Not financial advice. In Gold — the calculator · API
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