Trade by barter

“Regarding the reader’s query about buck and dollar,” emails Christine Neilson of Dundee, “it reminded me of a novel where I felt sure the answer lay.

“The King’s Orchard by Agnes Sligh Turnbull – a story of the American frontier in the 18th Century – details exactly what it calls ‘Trader’s Arithmetic’, used by the trappers and frontiersmen in their trade with the trading post and the Indians.

“In 18th Century America, trade was mainly done by barter on the frontier, apart from ‘official’ transactions and in the towns, the’ buck skin’ became the traders’ and trappers’ ‘base’ for their transactions. It was only when the pelts were taken into town for sale that money changed hands and the worth of the skins became clear; the trappers and traders used the word ‘’buck’ as the foundation for their calculations, as modern financiers now do with the dollar.

“It reads as follows:- one fall buck – a buck; two does –a buck; 2 spring bucks – a buck; one large buck beaver – a buck; six raccoons – a buck; four foxes – a buck; two otters – a buck; summer does – a buck.

“The footnote on the page states this as the origin of the American slang expression ‘a buck’ as the equivalent of a dollar. The list no doubt may have been more extensive, depending on the amount of animals, etc, in the area.

“The book also gives fascinating insights into the rise of cities like Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. Oldfashioned reading but quite informative!”