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Godtiermasturbator t1_isfgtzt wrote

Reply to comment by mets2016 in TIL that Napoleon once gave an ornately decorated tiara (a crown) to the pope with 3345 precious jewels inlaid into it. This was actually intended to be an insult, as the tiara weighed 18 pounds and was too small to fit on a human head. by Specific_Success_875

"Haha I just gave you an unimaginable fortune in gemstones but get this.... You can't even wear them! What sweet revenge!"

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Specific_Success_875 OP t1_isgvka4 wrote

It was only around 179,800 Francs in 1805. According to this random inflation calculator online, that's a little over a million US dollars in 2015.

https://www.historicalstatistics.org/Currencyconverter.html

So basically, the cost of a house in the good part of a major American city.

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Lemmonjello t1_ish1luu wrote

You say that like it's nothing...

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DissociatedNewt t1_ish30hm wrote

Well, it’s practically nothing to an emperor.

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HunterRoze t1_ishq4ya wrote

Right, but there were how many of those on the planet at the time? This seems like the ultimate "baller" move - to say, I have so much money I can afford to blow it on this huge gaudy thing not fitted to be worn and far too heavy to be comfortable. But I so much money to me, I can do it as a "fuck you".

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DissociatedNewt t1_ishwzt9 wrote

That’s fair, but when the baller is also your head of state, one could consider it an expensive diplomatic gesture. It probably boosted the nation’s morale, especially since Napoleon’s reign was basically a “fuck you” to the feudalistic status quo.

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Specific_Success_875 OP t1_isi5x64 wrote

It basically is nothing nowadays. Back then a gift costing 179,800 francs is a "fuck you" only affordable by someone as rich and powerful as the Emperor of France.

Nowadays any ruler of a minor country can throw that kind of money around. heck any CEO of a medium-sized company has that kind of money.

The weird thing about inflation is that the amount of wealth in the world has gone up by a lot more than the cost of goods. Looking at luxury items from centuries ago is crazy because a lot of them aren't that expensive when adjusted for inflation.

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