15. The Enslaved Artisan: $2,350 in New York
Before abolition in New York, a skilled artisan was sold for an extraordinary $2,350—a remarkable figure for the North. Urban areas, even outside the South, had a demand for talented craftspeople to support growing industries and commerce. According to the New-York Historical Society, enslaved artisans often worked as carpenters, masons, or metalworkers. Their rare expertise and productivity made them valuable, highlighting how the economics of slavery penetrated even Northern cities before full emancipation.
