DP9300 Competing Bimetallic Ratios: Amsterdam, London and Bullion Arbitrage in the Mid-18th Century

• Pilar Nogues-Marco
20 Jan 2013

This article analyzes the stability of bimetallism for countries operating in integrated bullion markets who enact different legal ratios. I articulate a new theoretical framework to demonstrate that two countries can both be bimetallic only if they coordinate their legal ratios. The theoretical framework is applied to the mid-18th century when London?s legal ratio was 3.8% higher than that of Amsterdam. I find that Amsterdam was effectively on the bimetallic standard, whereas London was on a de facto gold standard.