On: Fans are better than tech at organizing information online (2019)

[42lux]

I bet eggs were cheaper…

[bryanlarsen → 42lux]

Not even close. Eggs were 6p/dozen in the 14th century. https://medieval.ucdavis.edu/120D/Money.html

Laborer wages were 2p/day in the 14th century. https://thehistoryofengland.co.uk/resource/medieval-prices-a...

[hn_throwaway_99 → bryanlarsen]

I don't understand where you get "6p/dozen".

In that first link it says 2 dozen eggs is 1 pence (1d, denarius meaning pence). That works out to half a pence per dozen, not 6.

If it actually cost 3 days wages for a dozen eggs it seems pretty clear everyone would have starved to death.

[bryanlarsen → hn_throwaway_99]

The legend at the top says that "d" is shilling, or 12 pence.

Eggs, like all meat, was a luxury. They didn't starve, they lived on gruel.

[hn_throwaway_99 → bryanlarsen]

No, that's wrong. s is shilling, d is pence.

The relevant part of the legend at the top says:

    1 pound (L) = 20 shillings (s)
    ...
    1 shilling = 12 pence (d)

Then in the description it states "The French Livre, sou, and denier are equivalent to the pound, shilling and penny (Latin liber, solidus, and denarius)"

Meaning:

    pound = livre = liber = L
    shilling = sou = solidus = s
    pence = denier = denarius = d

A dozen eggs were half a pence.

[bryanlarsen → hn_throwaway_99]

So redoing the calculations, a dozen eggs were a quarter day of laborer wages, and more than a full day of wages for a maidservant or swineherd. Still considerably more expensive than the price of eggs today.

[smegsicle → bryanlarsen]

yeah but that's like walmart greeter tier labor and super nice farm fresh eggs