Filthy lucre
As an historical re-enactor I often portray an Indentured Servant broker ca. 1800. In that character one had to have a certain amount of specie on hand. This was often carried in a leather poke carried in a waistcoat pocket or contained in a possibles bag similar to this one. Gold and silver coins were the most common forms of payment. If you look closely at this image you may notice a few odd shaped triangular silver pieces known as pieces of eight. These are so called because the Spanish silver dollar was cut into 8 pieces. One such piece is called a bit; 2 bits equaled a quarter, 4 bits 50 cents and so on. For a long time this was the only way fractional currency was made. A wax sealed letter is also visible in this image.
As a broker of Indentured servants I was essentially a middle man who bought the indentures of migrants or prisoners that came to the New World for a number of reasons. We prepared the legal documents, filed them in court, and saw to the exchange of money between the servant and the person who purchased the indenture. We took a cut of that purchase as our fee. We would often meet ships from overseas who carried indentured servants to the New World and purchase the indentures from the ships captains. We then resold those indentures to people who needed a servant or worker locally. Most persons who came to the New World in the mid 18th century to the mid 19th century came here under indenture. Other Indentured servants came here either because they were convicted of a crime or otherwise needed to settle a debt. Parents sometimes indentured their children when they could not afford them. In theory, the children would get a room and board while also learning a trade. The parents would receive the money for the indenture to pay their expenses and debts. If you think about it, we were much like a sports or entertainers agent who sought out prospects and arrange terms of employment while taking a cut of that person's earnings as a fee.
Filthy lucre
As an historical re-enactor I often portray an Indentured Servant broker ca. 1800. In that character one had to have a certain amount of specie on hand. This was often carried in a leather poke carried in a waistcoat pocket or contained in a possibles bag similar to this one. Gold and silver coins were the most common forms of payment. If you look closely at this image you may notice a few odd shaped triangular silver pieces known as pieces of eight. These are so called because the Spanish silver dollar was cut into 8 pieces. One such piece is called a bit; 2 bits equaled a quarter, 4 bits 50 cents and so on. For a long time this was the only way fractional currency was made. A wax sealed letter is also visible in this image.
As a broker of Indentured servants I was essentially a middle man who bought the indentures of migrants or prisoners that came to the New World for a number of reasons. We prepared the legal documents, filed them in court, and saw to the exchange of money between the servant and the person who purchased the indenture. We took a cut of that purchase as our fee. We would often meet ships from overseas who carried indentured servants to the New World and purchase the indentures from the ships captains. We then resold those indentures to people who needed a servant or worker locally. Most persons who came to the New World in the mid 18th century to the mid 19th century came here under indenture. Other Indentured servants came here either because they were convicted of a crime or otherwise needed to settle a debt. Parents sometimes indentured their children when they could not afford them. In theory, the children would get a room and board while also learning a trade. The parents would receive the money for the indenture to pay their expenses and debts. If you think about it, we were much like a sports or entertainers agent who sought out prospects and arrange terms of employment while taking a cut of that person's earnings as a fee.