【How-to】How much is a ducat worth in dollars

A Venetian ducat was 3.545g of pure (by Renaissance standards) gold – it was essentially a bullion trading coin. At today’s gold prices, one ducat is worth $148.83… call it 150 dollars for easy reckoning, or £105 Sterling. So Bassanio’s three thousand ducats in Merchant are worth about $450,000: a serious sum.