‘The Gilded Age': Jack Sells the Alarm Clock For $600,000, But How Much Is That Worth Today In 2025 Dollars?

Yahoo

21-07-2025

If you watch The Gilded Age, then you're probably deeply invested in the journey of footman Jack Trotter (Ben Ahlers). First introduced as just a loyal servant in the Van Rhijn house all the way back in Season 1, he's since distinguished himself as an ambitious inventor. In The Gilded Age Season 2, Jack took it upon himself to design a better, more accurate alarm clock that wouldn't need grease for its gears. Buoyed by donations from his fellow staff and employers, he applied for a patent. In this season of the HBO show, however, Jack has partnered with Larry Russell (Harry Richardson) to sell the clock.
**Spoilers for Season 3 Episode 4 'Marriage is a Gamble,' now streaming on HBO MAX**
Jack finally sells his alarm clock in The Gilded Age Season 3 Episode 4 'Marriage is a Gamble.' Not only that, but he and Larry manage to sell the clock and its patent for a whopping $600,000.
Okay, based on Jack's dumbstruck reaction, we're guessing that sum was worth way more than it is today. Apparently, even if the young men split the sale both ways, they're both sitting pretty with $300k in 1880s money. But how much did Jack sell the clock for in today's money? What's the conversion rate for 1883 dollar to 2025? How much was $300,000 even worth in The Gilded Age?
Here's everything you need to know about how much Jack Trotter sold the alarm clock for…
The Gilded Age: How Much Does Jack Sell the Alarm Clock for? How Much is $600,000 in the 1880s Worth in Today's Dollars?
Trying to figure out just how rich Jack the footman is now? Wondering what $600k or $300k translates to in today's dollars?
The Bureau of Labor Statistics states that the dollar is worth 31.83 times what it was in 1883. Which means you should theoretically be able to just multiply 300,000 by 31.83 to figure out how much money Mr. Trotter is actually taking home to the servants' quarters.
According to our calculations, Jack made approximately $9,549,000 in just one day by selling the patent to his alarm clock. However, for the sake of argument, let's round that up to $10 million. (Also, let's be real: money spread further in the 1800s!) So the whole kit and caboodle sold somewhere close to $20 million.
So while Jack might not technically be a millionaire in the Gilded Age sense of the word, he would be a millionaire in today's market. He also does not have to keep his day job.
If you were at any point worried — like my own mother was! — that Larry was planning to cheat poor Jack out of his share of the money, rest assured that the younger Mr. Russell only ever had the best intentions. When DECIDER asked Gilded Age star Harry Richardson what Larry's happier about, making the business deal for himself or for Jack, he said, 'I think it's both.'
'I think that's why I really love the way that it's been written,' Richardson said. 'He says, 'When I'm finished with you, you'll have your own footman.' He's really excited about the expansion of this young man's life as well as his own. '
Okay, but how is Aunt Agnes (Christine Baranski) and the rest of the Van Rhijn/Brook household going to handle the news that their favorite footman is now potentially wealthier than they are?
The Gilded Age returns on Sunday, July 20 at 9 PM ET on HBO and HBO MAX.
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