Silver Price in 1986

MONTHLY AVERAGES, US DOLLARS PER TROY OUNCE.


$5.44 average per troy oz in 1986

The highest month of 1986 was January at $6.00. The lowest was July at $5.00. The 1986 average was −11.28% compared with the 1985 average ($6.13). From January to December the monthly average moved −10.00%.

Average$5.44
Highest month$6.00
Lowest month$5.00
Per gram, average$0.17
By month

Silver price by month, 1986

MonthAverage per ozChange from prior month
January (high) $6.00 +1.69%
February $5.90 −1.67%
March $5.60 −5.08%
April $5.20 −7.14%
May $5.10 −1.92%
June $5.10 0.00%
July (low) $5.00 −1.96%
August $5.20 +4.00%
September $5.60 +7.69%
October $5.60 0.00%
November $5.60 0.00%
December $5.40 −3.57%

Each figure is the average of the daily prices in that month, so the high and low are the highest and lowest monthly averages, not the highest and lowest price on a single day.

Inflation context

1986 price in 2025 dollars

A $5.44 average in 1986 equals about $15.98 in 2025 dollars, using the consumer price index (CPI-U). For comparison, the silver price today is shown on the live silver price page.

Inflation data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, CPI-U all items, U.S. city average (series CUUR0000SA0), annual average, from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The adjustment reflects general consumer prices only.

Other years

Silver price in other years

1985 1987   Silver price by year, 1960 to 2025

Questions

Quick answers

What was the price of silver in 1986?

The monthly average silver price in 1986 was $5.44 per troy ounce (the mean of the 12 monthly averages). The highest month was January at $6.00. The lowest was July at $5.00.

What was the silver price per gram in 1986?

$0.17 per gram on average in 1986, which is the ounce price divided by 31.1035.

What is the 1986 silver price in today's dollars?

Using the U.S. consumer price index (CPI-U), an average 1986 price of $5.44 equals about $15.98 in 2025 dollars. This only adjusts for general consumer prices. It says nothing about what silver was worth to a buyer at the time.

Where does this data come from?

Monthly averages are from the World Bank Commodity Price Data (the Pink Sheet), published under CC BY 4.0. Prices are monthly averages, not daily highs and lows, and the World Bank publishes them rounded.

Source: The World Bank, Commodity Price Data (The Pink Sheet), October 2026 release, CC BY 4.0. worldbank.org. Historical prices are for information, not a quote.