Money

[wellinghall]

In a story published in 1925, Jeeves gets tipped a total of £95 by various people. This set me to wondering -

[Poll #1316621]

Comments

[rosathome.livejournal.com]

I have done no sums, it just seemed like a nice round number.

[sigisgrim.livejournal.com]

Based on the Mars Bar principle and a guess at 6d.

[emperor]

[x] I don't know, ask an economist!

[asklepia.livejournal.com]

No science, just a guess.

[king-pellinor.livejournal.com]

Depends on whether you're looking at purchasing power or earnings. £95 is probably a decent working man's wage, so call it something round about £20k in those terms; but in buying power it's probably only a fraction of that - say £4-5k.

Indeed.

[wemyss.livejournal.com]

Some £3,890 in retail purchase power, some £17,000 - £18,000 in wage terms.

[wellinghall.livejournal.com]

That's pretty good (I didn't know the answer when I posted the question, but gramarye1971 below has come up with some precise figures.)

[sigisgrim.livejournal.com]

It's interesting that after six responses the mean, mode and median are all around the same value...

[muninnhuginn]

(Next to) nothing at all: all the coins, and notes if he received any, have been withdrawn as legal tender ;-)

[wellinghall.livejournal.com]

He could always sell them to collectors ;-)

[na-lon.livejournal.com]

The Marquis says "I'm just going to say lots" using Na'Lon's log in

[gramarye1971]

According to the Measuring Worth calculator of purchasing power, £95 0s 0d in 1925 pounds sterling would be worth £3,883.70 (using the retail price index) or £17,278.28 (using average earnings) in 2007. So I split the difference in the poll.

Snap!

[wemyss.livejournal.com]

We are thinking alike.

You want to be very unnerved by that, as my mind is generally considered mad, bad, and dangerous to know.

Re: Snap!

[gramarye1971]

I will take that into consideration, along with the Grimmauld Place LJ icon.

[wellinghall.livejournal.com]

That's great; thanks!

[helflaed.livejournal.com]

I've based my answer on the fact that Bunter earns £200 a year. I've probably over-estimated though.

[wellinghall.livejournal.com]

That rings a faint bell, but no more than that - do you know which story it's from?