Silver Price in 1988

In 1988, the price of silver averaged $6.53 per troy ounce, down 6.8% from the year before. This page covers the 1988 average, high, low, and year-end close, and what that silver would be worth in today's dollars.

1988 Average

$6.53

LBMA annual average, USD/oz

Change vs 1987

-6.8%

from $7.01 in 1987

1988 High

$7.82

from daily trading data

1988 Low

$6.01

from daily trading data

Year-End Close

$6.02

last trading day of 1988

Silver Price Chart, 1978 to 1998

Annual average silver price per troy ounce, 1978 to 1998, with 1988 marked.

Silver Price by Month in 1988

Each month's average of daily closing prices, with its high and low, per troy ounce. These come from MetalCharts daily spot data, so they can differ slightly from the annual average above, which is based on LBMA annual average data.

Month	Average	High	Low
January 1988	$6.73	$7.00	$6.50
February 1988	$6.33	$6.58	$6.12
March 1988	$6.41	$6.73	$6.16
April 1988	$6.48	$6.83	$6.37
May 1988	$6.54	$6.76	$6.34
June 1988	$7.04	$7.37	$6.63
July 1988	$7.12	$7.82	$6.71
August 1988	$6.70	$6.88	$6.50
September 1988	$6.37	$6.63	$6.12
October 1988	$6.30	$6.42	$6.21
November 1988	$6.28	$6.47	$6.01
December 1988	$6.11	$6.21	$6.01

What happened to the silver price in 1988

Silver averaged $6.53 per troy ounce in 1988, down 6.8% from $7.01 the year before. Daily trading data shows silver moved between a low of $6.01 and a high of $7.82 during the year, ending 1988 at $6.02.

The 1980s opened with the Hunt brothers squeeze driving silver to roughly $50 per ounce in January 1980, followed by the Silver Thursday collapse that March. The rest of the decade was a long unwind as inflation cooled and speculative interest drained away.

Adjusted for inflation, silver's 1988 average of $6.53 equals about $18 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 1988?

Silver averaged $6.53 per troy ounce in 1988, based on LBMA annual average data. Daily prices ranged from a low of $6.01 to a high of $7.82, and the year closed at $6.02. That average was down 6.8% from $7.01 in 1987.

What is a 1988 silver price worth in today's dollars?

Adjusted with the US Consumer Price Index, silver's 1988 average of $6.53 works out to roughly $18 in today's dollars, using 2025 as the CPI base year. The conversion uses BLS CPI-U annual averages, so treat it as a close approximation rather than an exact figure.

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.