NEED TO KNOW
- John “Jack” Trotter (Ben Ahlers) sold his alarm clock patent for $600,000 on the latest episode of The Gilded Age
- He accomplished this task with the help of his business partner, Larry Russell (Harry Richardson), with whom he split the money 50/50
- Fans are wondering what that figure from 1884 would equal in today’s money
The Gilded Age‘s John “Jack” Trotter is movin’ on up.
In the most recent episode of Julian Fellowes’ period drama, Jack (Ben Ahlers) sold the patent for his new alarm clock invention with the help of his business partner, Larry Russell (Harry Richardson), for a life-changing amount of money.
The dynamic duo sells the patent “lock, stock and barrel” for $600,000, splitting the money 50/50.
While their original offer of $300,000 immediately stuns Jack, Larry — ever the smooth-talking businessman — gets them to double it as he tells the buyer, “You know you intend to make many times that.”
Fans are wondering how much Jack’s clock is worth today.
With this The Gilded Age scene taking place in 1884, the $600,000 Jack and Larry made from their big deal would be worth much more today.
How much more? Around $20 million.
The Inflation Calculator from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics only goes back to 1913, nearly 30 years after Jack and Larry sold the alarm clock patent, so the figure isn’t exact. Using it, though, shows that the $600,000 for the alarm clock patent would equate to $19,748,632.65 in today’s money.
Cut that in half, per Jack and Larry’s business partnership, and that means each of them would have made nearly $10 million each in 2025.
HBO Max got into the fun and shared an Instagram featuring a screenshot of an online search engine. When asked what the total would amount to today, the estimate rounded out to $21,195,495.51 in today’s dollars.
This money means different things for each of the characters.
While that’s likely an impressive sum for Larry, he’s the son of railroad tycoon George Russell (Morgan Spector) and already lives the high life in the upper echelon of society. It’s expected that he succeed in business (without really trying).
Jack, however, is the footman for the Agnes van Rhijn (Christine Baranski) household — or should we say the Ada Forte (Cynthia Nixon) household. He lives downstairs, while Larry resides upstairs across the street.
This is a big deal for Jack — remember, he couldn’t even afford the cost of the patent and had to get his friends to chip in to help him — and it shows in his reaction to the money.
“What do I do now, I wonder,” Jack says, as Larry replies, “You mean now you’re almost as rich as Mrs. Forte and much richer than Mrs. Van Rhijn.”
Jack, seemingly fearing how his employers will react, vows not to tell them — at least “not yet,” he says.
When asked by his fellow servants how the business meeting went, Jack responds, “It went well, I think.”
How will this money change Jack’s life? How long will he remain employed as a footman? We’ll have to keep watching to find out.
The Gilded Age season 3 airs Sundays at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT on HBO and Max.
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