National Archives
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New mobile app launched using records from The National Archives

Old Money, a new mobile phone application which uses records from The National Archives to convert old money into present day values, is now available to download.

The application, which has been developed by RevelMob and historian Nick Barratt, uses historic price data from documents held at The National Archives to see what a sum of money from the past would be worth today and the spending power it would have commanded at the time.

Caroline Kimbell, Head of Licensing at The National Archives, said: 'Our records are not just the first draft of history, but are increasingly being used in smart ways by developers to create innovative products and services for anyone who needs instant access to practical historical information.'

The Old Money application enables users to make sense of historical facts and figures which might otherwise be meaningless, such as the 1761 sale of Buckingham Palace for £21,000 or William Shakespeare's annual salary in 1599 of £100 a year.

The application also provides historical background on what life was like at the time, what each sum of money would have been able to buy and the living standards of our ancestors. 

The app costs 59p and is compatible with iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch and can be downloaded at revelmob.com/currency-converter.

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