1930's currency values

[alex crawford]

Hi,

Bit of a strange question but I need to know if it is possible.

Is there anyone or any website where I can find out what Danish Kroner was worth in British pounds in the 1930's?

I have the following info that I want to convert to British Pounds.

Total price for the 12 planes (1933 prices):
2 Nimrods with 3 spare engines 184.680 DKK
License for 10 Nimrod planes 626.500 DKK
10 Rolls Royce Kestrel IIIS engines 450.000 DKK
10 8mm. Madsen machinegun sets (20 guns) 30.000 DKK
10 Radio sets 60.000 DKK
Extra costs v31.843 DKK
Total 1.383.023 DKK

An equivilent for todays prices would also be welcome.

Any help would be gratefully received.

Alex

[Nick Beale]

I can't do the Kroner/sterling conversion but maybe a back copy of the Financial Times would tell you?

Donald Thomas's "An Underworld At War" (about crime in Britain during the war) did have a discussion about British prices then and now. He explained that it's far from a straightforward comparison but that multiplying wartime UK prices by 40 would generally give a workable present day equivalent.

[Michal]

I have found only information for 1942 - 1943, where all of currency of occupated states were underrated to Reichsmark.

Kroner - Reichsmark 0,52:1
British Pound - Reichsmark 9,30:1

So, estimated conversion between British Pound and Danish Kroner should be during 1942-1943 approximately 17,88 Danish Crowns for 1 Pound.

[Mikkel Plannthin]

Alex,
I'll look it up for you - but at work right now.

Mikkel Plannthin

[Mikkel Plannthin]

Alex,
I need to double-check, but my initial findings suggests 22,40 DKK for one British pound. The exchange rate was fixed in 1933 and the exhange rate was controlled during the 1930's.

Consumer price index according to Statistics Denmark:
1900: 100
1933: 181
2006: 5900
http://www.dst.dk/Statistik/seneste/...inflation.aspx

I presume that your list of prices origins in a contract with the Danish Naval Air Service from 1933? The Nimrods were built in 1934-35.

Mikkel

[Mikkel Plannthin]

Alex,
I have been able to trace the 22.40 to a trusted source now, so I am convinced it is true (source: Dansk Penge Historie, Danmarks Nationalbank, 1968, i.e. Danish Monetary History published by the Danish Nationalbank).

From 1942 the exchange rate is 19,36 DKK to one pound sterling.

It is told that the British forces arriving in Copenhagen in May 1945 had been told that the exchange rate was 20,00 DDK to one pound sterling and that this had a great influence on the Danish-British negotiations in the following months.

Mikkel

[lancemaria]

Great! very informative