7. The Enslaved Family: $6,200 Combined Sale
In a rare and poignant exception to the norm, a family of four—father, mother, and two children—was sold together at auction for a staggering $6,200. Such sales, where the family unit remained intact, stood out in a system notorious for tearing loved ones apart. As reported by NPR, the high combined price reflected both the value of each individual and the premium some buyers placed on preserving family bonds, even within the cruel confines of slavery’s economic logic.
