Silver Price in 1973
In 1973, the price of silver averaged $2.56 per troy ounce, up 52.4% from the year before. This page covers the 1973 average, high, low, and year-end close, the events that moved the market, and what that silver would be worth in today's dollars.
1973 Average
$2.56
LBMA annual average, USD/oz
Change vs 1972
+52.4%
from $1.68 in 1972
1973 High
$3.28
from daily trading data
1973 Low
$1.96
from daily trading data
Year-End Close
$3.28
last trading day of 1973
What happened to the silver price in 1973
Silver averaged $2.56 per troy ounce in 1973, surging 52.4% from the $1.68 average of 1972. Annual moves of that size are rare and put 1973 among the most explosive years in the metal's modern history. Daily trading data shows silver moved between a low of $1.96 and a high of $3.28 during the year, ending 1973 at $3.28. The defining story of 1973: Oil crisis; commodity prices surge.
The 1970s transformed silver from a demonetized coinage metal into one of the hottest inflation trades of the era. Prices climbed from under $2 per ounce early in the decade to double digits by 1979 as the Hunt brothers built enormous positions.
Adjusted for inflation, silver's 1973 average of $2.56 equals about $19 in today's dollars. The conversion uses US Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U annual averages, so treat it as a close approximation rather than an exact figure.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was the price of silver in 1973?
What is a 1973 silver price worth in today's dollars?
What moved the silver price in 1973?
Annual averages are LBMA prices per troy ounce in US dollars. Where shown, the yearly high, low, and close come from MetalCharts daily historical data and may differ slightly from figures published elsewhere. Inflation adjustments use BLS CPI-U annual averages.