Prices in colonial times?

[heidi]

The Eldest Boy has been searching the internet for almost an hour to try and find the price of a silver bowl, and of a fishing net, circa the American Revolution.

Anyone know where he can find this info? We have tried The Google to no avail, and I don't want him wandering the internet with no guidance because who knows? Maybe he'll end up on some ugly Geocities-inspired page and have his eyeballs scarred for life.

Comments

[laughingrat]

Yes! I do know where he can ask! There's a group called 18cWoman on Yahoo Groups, and they talk about exactly that sort of thing. They're re-enactors, and very, very dedicated and well informed.

I'm a little ashamed to be directing you to some group on the internet rather than a legitimate reference resource (I'm a librarian and really should know better), but since I'm not coming up with any such resource off the top of my head, that may be the quickest place to ask. If I do think of a more legit source, like a database or a book, I'll happily pop back and let you know, if you like. Oh, also, do you have a local or state historical society? They might know.

[twistedchick]

Are there any historical sources of how much Paul Revere might have charged? That's the only thing I can think of. IIRC, contemporary newspapers might have had ads saying something vague like "P. Revere, Silversmith," and the address but not much more. Possibly the Boston Historical Society? Or the Massachusetts Historical Society?