Trends in Slave Shipments from the Gold Coast: New Evidence on Slave Prices, 1710-1792

Indrani Sen

The purpose of this paper is to explore the level and determinants of slave shipments from the Gold Coast during the peak period of the eighteenth century. Extensive price data are derived from the account books of individual traders, slave ships' logs, and the books of the Royal Africa Company, as well as from information about the cost of the goods exchanged for slaves. Analysis of these data yields evidence about the respective demand for male and female slaves, the role of the middlemen, and the proportion of slaves exported compared to those sold locally. The paper concludes that supply-side factors, particularly a possibly growing demand for slaves in the domestic Gold Coast market, may have had a significant impact on the volume and structure of slave exports from that region.

[WP #96012]