What $100 in 1971 was worth — measured in gold

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

99.0%

of the US dollar's value, gone — measured in gold, since 1971.
It now takes 99.5× more dollars to buy the same ounce.

In 1971, $100 bought 2.46 oz of gold at $40.62/oz. Held as metal, that same money is worth $9,954 at today's gold price of $4,043/oz (spot as of 2026-08-02).

Same $100. Three rulers.

Measure	$100 from 1971, today	Multiple
Official story — CPI-U (BLS)	$827	8.3×
Money created — M2 money supply	$3,418	34.2×
In gold — honest weight, valued today	$9,954	99.5×

The gap between 8.3× (CPI) and 34.2× (M2) is official inflation understating the money actually created. The gap between 34.2× and 99.5× (gold) is the flight to hard money — gold outrunning even the printing.

1971 in the fiat story

On August 15, 1971, Nixon closed the gold window — "temporarily." The last link between the dollar and gold was cut, Bretton Woods was finished, and every debasement figure on this site that starts from 1971 measures what followed from that single decision.

Try your own numbers

The In Gold calculator runs any amount and any year — USD from 1913, or see 1971 in AUD.

← $100 in 1970 $100 in 1972 →

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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