[Note: The old text is moved, please note that the data in the text is cut off in 2016.] 】
See a picture of the data released by lloyds bank on the depreciation of the pound, compared to the level of purchasing power of 100 pounds in each previous era in 2014, as shown in the figure 100 pounds in 1914 equivalent to 8970 pounds in 2014. These data still have certain reference significance for understanding the development and changes of snooker bonuses.
A chart of the championship prize money for the main years of the Snooker World Championships is simply converted with reference to the above sterling inflation rate.
At the first Snooker World Championships in 1927, Joe Sr. won a championship prize of £6,10, or £6.50, which is about £364 in 2014. At the second World Championships, Joe Sr. received £32 in prize money and £27 in tickets, which was equivalent to £3,363 in 2014. In 1946, the last title of the Old Joe World Championship, he won a prize of 1800 pounds, equivalent to 63000 pounds in 2014, which is a very high prize money. At the first Modern World Championships in 1969, Spencer received about £1,300 in prize money, about £15,600; and the entry fee at that time was £100, not the usual high, so it's no wonder Spencer wanted a loan to sign up. In 1979, the world championship prize money reached £10,000 for the first time, compared to £50,000 in 2014. In 1989, the World Championship prize money exceeded £100,000 (£105,000) for the first time, or around £226,800. In 1996, the prize money for the World Championship winner reached £200,000 for the first time, or around £320,000. In 2003, the world championship prize money reached its peak before 2014, at 270,000 pounds, about 360,000 pounds. Interestingly, the 2003 Masters also reached its current peak of prize money, £210,000, worth around £280,000, while that season (2002/03), Williams won three grand slams, which was a bit of a hit.
In addition, there are some things that cannot be replaced by simple numbers. In the early days, the snooker prize money was very low, even if it was converted to a few thousand pounds now, it was very general, but this did not mean that the players were living very coldly at that time. Because at that time, many players (in fact, the players who played and made a living) mainly earned money from exhibition matches, and the overall low standard of living at that time, it was quite good to let the family eat enough, and then have a little money to buy a small gift, and go to the tavern to drink some wine and have fun.