The outbreak of the Korean War in June 1950 triggered a surge in commodity prices and the first significant inflation scare of the post-war era. Gold, however, was pinned at $35 by treaty, unable to respond — a foretaste of the central tension that would eventually break Bretton Woods. As inflation rose while the gold price stayed frozen, the metal's real value quietly began the long erosion that would carry it to a multi-century low by 1971.
Gold Price History · Bretton Woods
1950
The Korean Boom
War in Korea ignited a commodity boom and the first real inflation scare of the Bretton Woods era.
- Average price
- $35/oz
- In 2025 dollars
- $464/oz
- Change on the year
- −0.8%
- After inflation
- −1.8%
1950 in context · real value, 1930–1970
What would $10,000 of gold in 1950 be worth today?
Run the numbers across gold, stocks, housing, and bonds — adjusted for inflation.
Calculate 1950 →How gold did in 1950
Value at year-end of $10,000 invested on 1 January 1950.
Gold $9,917 −0.8%
S&P 500 (total return) $13,081 +30.8%
US housing $10,364 +3.6%
Inflation (CPI) $10,126 +1.3%
Annual-average basis. Gold: Officer & Williamson; S&P 500 & Treasuries: Damodaran (NYU); housing: Shiller; CPI: BLS. Methodology →
Related years
Sources. Gold price: Officer & Williamson, The Price of Gold, 1257–Present (annual average); inflation adjustment by US CPI (BLS / Officer & Williamson). Asset comparison from the calculator dataset. Figures are annual averages. Full methodology →