HP Currency Converter @ CNN (was) Money, Trips, Cars, and More Money

[Steve]

No: HPFGUIDX 59413

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, Petra Pan <ms_petra_pan at y...> wrote:
> Steve, in part:
> > The exchange rate is 
> > G1.00 = £5.00 as stated 
> > by JKR in an interview. ....
> > 
> > Brit £ = US $1.634
> > 
> > So...
> > 
> > £5.00 x 1.634 = US$8.17 
> > 
> > ... the HP Lexicon says $7.33. 
> > 3 yr average = US $7.75. 
> >
> 
> Ray, in part:
> > ... In the forward to 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find' them, 
> > "Dumbledore" writes:
> > 
> > "....has raised over $250,000,000 ... (... £174,000,000), or 
> > G34,000,872+ ...).
> > 
> > .... (that equals) $7.35 = 1 Galleon,..., I use $7.50.
> 


bboy_mn now adds:

£174,000,000 / 34,000,872.83 = 5.12 therefore G1 = £5.12. This
confirms the approx G1:£5 rate.


> ...(CNN)... HARRY POTTER CURRENCY CONVERTER 
> on this web page:
> 
> http://cgi.money.cnn.com/apps/hpcurrconv
> 
> This converter from CNN Money gives us 
> 
> G1 = $4.82 
> and
> $1.00 = 3 sickles and 15 knuts
> 
> How CNN Money calculates their figures: ...edited..
> 
> 
> Is this definitive?
> 
> Petra

bboy_mn:

Two sources both directly tied to JKR (her interview and her book) set
the exchange rate at G1 = about £5 .

The CNN site has always been in error and for some reason, they refuse
to correct this error. How very nice of them to provide this fun
service, but it's useless if it isn't accurate. 

I believe this may have come of the cover of some book that had the
price in both dollars and galleons, but was obviously in error. Given
the numbers they are using, I suspect they took the Galleon to Pound
rate and used it as the Galleon to Dollar rate. 

At any rate (a pun), we have no way to adjust the Galleon to Pound
rate, so it remains fixed at about G1:£5. We can only adjust the
Galleon to Dollar rate based on fluctuations in the Br. Pound to US
Dollar rate. 

Regardless of all this, it is handy to have some basic conversion in
mind as you read the book. Harry paid (I think) G7.00 for his wand
(using current rate of 1.63; G7 x 5 = £35 x 1.63 = $57.05) and he paid
G10.00 for the Omnoculars (G10 x 5 = £50 x 1.63 = $81.50). Cheap wand;
 expensive Omniculars, and he bought three of them.

For simplicity, I either use G1:£5:$7 or use a very easy £:$ x1.5
(same as £5 = $7.50) to convert from Pounds to Dollars. It's not
accurate, but it does give you a general idea of what things cost.

G1 = £5 x 1.5 = $7.50
S1 = (£5/17) = £0.294 x 1.5 = $0.44
K1 = (£5/493) = £0.01 x 1.5 = $0.015

Just a thought, or maybe too many thought.

bboy_mn