After reading so much about the slave trade in these chapters, I decided to do some research on slave prices. According to my research, some of the slaves in the Butler auction sold for well above average prices. Prices for a male slave peaked when the slave was between the ages of 20 and 30. The price pattern was similar for female slaves. Young children and babies were worth much less than slave children who had approached puberty. Also, experience played a role in determining the cost of a slave. Women who were fertile and of child bearing age were worth more than other women because of their ability to provide the master with more slave children. Certain attributes including disabilities and specific skills could either lower or raise the price, respectively. Furthermore, just as the stock market increases and decreases today to determine different costs of products, back then, the slave trade was almost treated as a stock market. If the demand was down, then the costs went down. It was all about supply and demand.
http://eh.net/encyclopedia/article/wahl.slavery.us
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