Skip to main content

Prices (Posthumus)

This data base contains prices taken from the tables of absolute prices contained in volume 1 of N. W. Posthumus's Nederlandsche Prijsgeschiedenis (Leiden, 1943). For a detailed explanation of the sources of this data, see his Introduction, pp. XVIII-LXXIX. Posthumus took most of the quotations from published listings of the Amsterdam commodity exchange. The listings appeared irregularly from 1585 to 1609, weekly from 1609 to 1796, and twice a week from 1796 to 1813. Of the approximately 12,000 price currents that were issued between 1585 and 1813, Posthumus was able to find 3,033, or about one-fourth. There are, moreover, large gaps among these. Only 138 years are represented, so that numerous years are lacking, particularly before 1624, and between the years 1654-64, 1694-1701,1710-18, and 1722-28.

Posthumus also supplemented the information drawn from the price currents with data contained in other, more specialized price lists, from various printed periodicals and newspapers, from miscellaneous documents published by other historians, and from archival sources. All quotations before 1585 come from such sources. If Posthumus gave the specific source of the price, the information has been included in the on-screen note of MEMDB ("BLARO" refers to Brokers' Lists from the Amsterdam Record Office; for other abbreviations, see Posthumus).

Posthumus listed only monthly quotations, chosen from the list that appeared on the 15th day of each month, or as close as possible to this date. The quotations are given with the relevant weight or measure, and Posthumus indicated when the unit of measure changed, in some cases switching to a new series when one unit of measure replaced another. The prices were actually quoted in guilders, stuivers, and penningen(1 gulden = 20 stuivers = 320 penningen); or sometimes in Flemish pounds, shillings and pennies (1 pond = 20 schellingen = 240 groten); or, for grain prices, in "goudguldens" of 28 stuivers. Quotations in bank money ('banco'; currency of the Amsterdam Wisselbank) begin as early as 1634 and enter general use in 1683.

103780 matches of 103780 were found for your query.
Month, between
Year Between
Month / Year: 1619
Month / Year Product (in English) Product (in Dutch) Volume Price currency Notes
8 / 1619 Fine Refined Sugar Fijne Faffinade pound 0.66 Guilders 32
8 / 1619 Brazilian white sugar Braziliaansche witte suiker pound 0.49 Guilders 31
8 / 1619 Pernambuco Wood Pernambuco Hout 100 pounds 43.00 Guilders 77
8 / 1619 Native Salted Hides Inlandsche Gezouten Huiden pound 0.16 Guilders
8 / 1619 St. Ubes Salt St. Ubes Zout last 175.50 Guilders
8 / 1619 English Copperas Engelsch Koperrood (Couperose) 100 pounds 3.00 Guilders 51
Month / Year: 1609
Month / Year Product (in English) Product (in Dutch) Volume Price currency Notes
11 / 1609 Figs Vijgen 100 pounds 9.50 Guilders 13
11 / 1609 Native Sweet Tallow Inlandsche Zoete Talk 100 pounds 23.50 Guilders
11 / 1609 English Tin Engelsch Tin 100 pounds 52.00 Guilders
11 / 1609 Cinnamon in various qualities Kaneel in Soorten pound 1.15 Guilders 90
11 / 1609 Baltic (Dry) Wax Oostersche (Droge) Was 100 pounds 79.50 Guilders 11
11 / 1609 German Tartar Duitsche Wijnsteen 100 pounds 22.50 Guilders 2
11 / 1609 Paternoster Flax Paternoster Vlas ship-pound 42.50 Guilders
11 / 1609 Cadix Salt Cadix Zout last 150.00 Guilders
11 / 1609 Linseed Oil Lijnolie aum 35.88 Guilders 64
11 / 1609 Eastland Brass-Wire Koperdraad van Oostland 100 pounds 54.00 Guilders
11 / 1609 New English Saffron Nieuw Engelsch Saffraan pound 20.50 Guilders 69
11 / 1609 Leyden Fustians, Single Lions Leidsche Fusteinen, Enkele Leeuwen piece 15.00 Guilders
11 / 1609 Milanese Rice Milaansche rijst 100 pounds 12.00 Guilders
11 / 1609 Clean Mace Schoone Foelie pound 3.30 Guilders 86
11 / 1609 Loaf-sugar Melissuiker pound 0.64 Guilders 89
11 / 1609 Mercury Kwikzilver pound 1.85 Guilders 58
11 / 1609 Bologna Organzine Bologneesche Organsijn pound 23.25 Guilders
11 / 1609 Cod-liver Oil Levertraan tun 47.00 Guilders 13
11 / 1609 Steel in Bars Staal in Staven 100 pounds 17.50 Guilders 63
11 / 1609 Konigsberg Rye Koningsberger rogge last 112.70 Guilders
11 / 1609 Native Honey inlandshe honig tun 31.50 Guilders 81
11 / 1609 Nutmeg in various qualities Noten in soorten pound 1.28 Guilders 49
11 / 1609 Riga Clean Hemp Riga Reinhennep ship-pound 33.50 Guilders
11 / 1609 White Candy Witte Kandij pound 1.16 Guilders 30
11 / 1609 Common Madder Gemeene Meekrap 100 pounds 20.50 Guilders 75
11 / 1609 French Bordeaux Wine Fransche Bordeauxwijn tun 132.00 Guilders 37
11 / 1609 Small Pepper Kleine peper Pound 0.80 Guilders 29
11 / 1609 Currants Krenten 100 pounds 17.00 Guilders 67
11 / 1609 Leyden Fustians with the L Leidsche Fusteinen met de L piece 15.75 Guilders
11 / 1609 English Lead Engelsch Lood 100 pounds 8.10 Guilders 65
11 / 1609 Single White Iron Enkel Blik 100 pounds 34.00 Guilders
11 / 1609 Dantzig Potash Dantziger Potasch 100 pounds 15.90 Guilders
11 / 1609 Gatimalo Indigo Guatimalo Indigo pound 6.90 Guilders 48
11 / 1609 Roman Alum Roomsch Aluin 100 pounds 13.20 Guilders 3
11 / 1609 Aix-la-Chapelle Kettles Ketels van Aken 100 pounds 59.00 Guilders
11 / 1609 Valence Almonds Valencia Amandelen 100 pounds 68.00 Guilders 72
11 / 1609 Muscovados Moscovades pound 0.41 Guilders 33
11 / 1609 Big Gallnuts Groote Galnoten 100 pounds 41.50 Guilders 9
11 / 1609 Mexican Cochineal Mexicaansche Cochenille pound 21.75 Guilders 14
11 / 1609 Fine Refined Sugar Fijne Faffinade pound 0.78 Guilders 32
11 / 1609 Long Prunes Lange Pruimen 100 pounds 6.00 Guilders
11 / 1609 Luneberg and Bremer Shorn Wool Luneburger en Bremer Schoorwol 100 pounds 27.50 Guilders
11 / 1609 Sherry Syrese Secken tun 210.00 Guilders 39
11 / 1609 Treacle Suikersiroop pound 10.80 Guilders 90