What would be the comparable buying power today of $1000 in 1891? That was a LOT of money back then.
According to this, it was about $27,000 as of 2017.
http://www.in2013dollars.com/1890-dollars-in-2017?amount=1000
rough estimate, about $27,000.
$1000 in $20 gold pieces would be worth many millions more.
$1000, 1891 dollars is about $28,215.00 in 2018 dollars
https://westegg.com/inflation/
(used by the Library of Congress to make these kinds of calculations)
According to Measuringworth.com the value ranges from
$25,400.00 to $1,250,000.00.
In 1891 a $1,000 bill would not circulate, it would be used for transferring funds between banks or as part of a bank’s required reserve backing its loans.
That 1891 $1,000 bill is a silver certificate.. but we could use gold for convenience. That $1,000 bill would exchange for 50 $20 coins
A $20 gold piece is about an oz of gold. Spot price for an oz of gold is about $1340 today.
Multiply 50 x $1340
$67,000
To find the buying power today, Google “CPI Calculator” and enter the old date and today’s date.