COSIGO — wage measured in silver weight

Sliders let you adjust wages and silver price. The core comparison is simple: grams of silver per hour 1940 vs 2026.

Interactive • Single-file html

Inputs

Adjust reality, not narratives.

Comparison mode

Pick your anchor story: minimum-vs-minimum or average-vs-average.

minimum

1940 hourly wage ($/hr)

Minimum 1940 ≈ $0.30/hr. Average sometimes cited around $1.00–$1.50/hr.

$0.30

Silver grams per 1940 dollar (g/$)

Default uses the classic 1934-era statutory ratio: 31.1035 / 1.2929 ≈ 24.06 g/$.

24.06 g/$

Today hourly wage ($/hr)

Set this to federal minimum ($7.25), a living wage, your wage, or your chosen “average”.

$7.25

Silver spot price ($/troy oz)

Adjust for “$80”, “$100”, “$175”, etc. Output updates instantly.

$90.00

Results

g/hr is the only thing that matters.

1940 silver wage

7.22 g/hr

($0.30/hr × 24.06 g/$)

Today silver wage

2.26 g/hr

($7.25/hr × 31.1035 g/oz ÷ $90/oz)

Measured in silver weight, today’s wage buys about one-third of what it bought in 1940.

That’s a ~69% loss in silver purchasing power (minimum-vs-minimum, $90/oz).

ratio = (today_g_per_hr / anchor_g_per_hr) = 0.31 → loss = 69%

If you only look at dollars, the damage is hidden. When you measure labor in weight (silver), the cut becomes obvious.

Note: This widget is an educational comparator. It does not accuse any specific person of a crime. It shows a measurement gap and lets you decide what that means.