January 4, 2017

What Things Cost in the U.S. in 1836--How Much WAS a One Pound Bladder of Snuff?

acostofthings1836.jpg

In case you've wondered how much four barrels of gin cost in the U.S. in 1836

I have provided the following list of What Stuff Cost, found tucked away in a book-keeping section of a very well used pocket-sized copy ofRoswell C. Smith's Practical and Mental Arithmetic on a New Plan..., which was published in Hartford in 1836. The answer to the gin question is $75, and if a barrel meant 42 gallons back then as it does now then the gin would cost about 60 cents a gallon. That of course sounds like a tiny price, but compared to what? That 60 cents would be about two-thirds of a day's wages for the average non-farm white male worker (actually between 50 cents and $1.00), while girl/women textile workers in Lowell Mass worked for about $3-4 per six day week. So if you considered working for most of theday in exchange for a bottle of (average, nothing special) gin, then it would seem a little on the expensive side. Or consider the prices of stuff as expensive or not based on a yearly salary of $300 or so and getting by on about a dollar a day.

Many varieties of food and drink in this imaginary store's stock would have come in barrels (abbreviated "bbl"): gin, vinegar, brandy, pork, and beef (probably salted). Rum and molasses were tallied in hogsheads ("hhd"), a standard measure of volume usually used for alcoholic beverages.

This hypothetical clerk also stocked cloth, hats, shoes, axes, kettles, textbooks, and knives—all the items a 19th-century country clientele might have relied upon such a store to provide, in a time before widespread availability of mail-order goods.Via the Venerable JF Ptak Science Books

Posted by gerardvanderleun at January 4, 2017 12:42 PM
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"It is impossible to speak in such a way that you cannot be misunderstood." -- Karl Popper N.B.: Comments are moderated and may not appear immediately. Comments that exceed the obscenity or stupidity limits will be either edited or expunged.

Since 1913, (the inception of the federal reserve) dollars have been devalued (inflation) by 93%.

A dollar today would be like 93 dollars in 1913.
Or, something that cost $1 in 1913 would cost $93 today.

What costs $93 today?
I was at Kroger the other day and deli sliced Boar's Head roast beef was $8.99 a lb, so 10 lbs would be about 90 dollars. That same 10 lbs of roast beef would have cost ONE measly dollar in 1913.

Further, because of the various taxes levied on you (income, sales, property, yadda yadda), you have to earn $3 in order to spend $1, and that $1 is equal to 3 cents in 1913 money.

Is it any wonder you're always broke come Monday?

Roll those numbers around a bit and see if you don't get severely pissed off.

Posted by: ghostsniper at January 4, 2017 1:17 PM

The first question is very poorly worded
"a cistern containing 600 gallons"
What is important is not what it contains but remaining capacity.

Posted by: Bill Jones at January 5, 2017 5:56 PM

One of the first things Trump should do is replace all of the Federal Reserve Governors with Muslims.
We've had thirty years of Ashkenazi and it's destroyed the American Middle class and vastly enriched the jewish bankers.
Funny dat.

Posted by: Bill Jones at January 5, 2017 6:03 PM

600 gal on hand, 120 gph in, 100 gph out, 30 hrs later cistern will be empty. Total capacity or remaining capacity is irrelevant. Distance from cistern to hoosegow is also irrelevant.

Posted by: ghostsniper at January 6, 2017 4:12 AM

Fluid barrel is 31.5 gallons, then as now .. .check the math on the list of items and you will see that they all agree (including 4 bbls of gin @ .60 per gallon = $75.60)


Posted by: peacelovewoodstock at January 6, 2017 9:48 AM

Interesting that the page uses commas, rather than decimal points, to divide the dollars and cents. Much of Europe still does. I wonder when the style changed?

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