A LIVING HISTORY BLOG.

18TH CENTURY LIVING HISTORY IN AUSTRALIA.

Thursday 22 December 2011

Trade Goods 1733.

Standard of Trade - Albany Fort, 1733

A Beaver Pelt could buy one of the following:

Item Amount Item Amount
Beads (Coloured) ¾ lb. Pistols [1 for 4 pelts]
Kettle, Brass 1 Gun Worms 1
Lead, Black 1 lb. Gloves, Yarn 1
Gun Powder 1 ½ lb. Goggles 2
Shot 5 lbs. Handkerchiefs 1
Sugar 2 lbs. Hats, laced 1
Tobacco, Brazil 2 lbs. Hatchets 2
Ditto Leaf or Roll 1 ½ lbs. Hawk Bells 8
Thread 1 lb. Ice Chisels 2
Vermilion 1 ½ oz Knives 8
Brandy 1 gallon Looking Glasses 2
Broad Cloth 2 yard Mocotagans (Curved Knives) 2
Blankets 1 Needles 12
Flannel 2 yard Net-Lines 2
Gartering 2 yard Powder Horns 2
Awl Blades 12 Plain Rings 6
Buttons 12 dozen Stone Rings 3
Breeches 1 pair Scrapers 2
Combs 2 Sword Blades 2
Egg Boxes 4 Spoons 4
Feathers, red 2 Shirts 2
Fish Hooks 20 Shoes 1 pair
Fire Steels 4 Stocking [1 for 1 ¼ pelts]
Files 1 Sashes, Worsted 2
Flints 20 Thimbles 6
Guns [1 for 10 to 12 pelts] Tobacco Boxes 2

Information found at: http://www2.hbc.com/hbcheritage/history/business/fur/standardtrade1733.asp

4 comments:

elmo iscariot said...

Fascinating stuff, thank you. Do you know what's meant by "stone rings," "hawk bells," and "black lead"? Why is black lead so much more expensive than finished shot?

Keith said...

Thanks for the questions Elmo. Stone rings were finger rings with stones in them ie,glass.
Hawk bells were small bells used for attaching to hunting hawks, but they were also popular trade items for other uses, ie decoration.
Black lead: This one I must admit I find a little confusing. This could be a script error & in fact is just plain lead, but as you quite correctly point out, it is more expensive than shot!
Black lead is another name for graphite. It was used in pensils,for polishing metal stove tops in the 19th-20th centuries, & I believe for women's make-up. A black lead comb for instance is believed to be simply a hair comb dipped in black lead/graphite to darken grey hairs.
I wish I could give you more info on the latter in regards to it's use on this list, but like many things in history it will take more research & a true answere may still not be found.
Hope this helps a little!
Regards, Keith.

elmo iscariot said...

Very interesting, thank you.

Keith said...

Your'e welcome.
Keith.