A Colonial Merchant: The Ledger of William Ramsay

Alexandria, VA 1753-1756

Artifact: Illustration of an Awl

Awl

Materials: Illustration

Dimensions:

Date:

Origin:

Collection: Pearson Scott Foresman via Wikimedia Commons

License: Public Domain

Ledger Entry: Awl

Awl

Department: Tool

Customer: Samuel Smith

Ledger Page: 166

Imported From: While tools could be produced by local blacksmiths, the availability of raw materials and skilled labor limited the large-scale production of tools in the American colonies. Specialized tools were typically imported from British production centers in London, Birmingham, and Sheffield.

Product Description

Awls are spiked tools with knob-like handles. These can be used for marking, stitching, or making holes. The tip is pushed into a material and then twisted in order to achieve the desired result.

Citation: James M. Gaynor and Nancy L. Hagedorn, Tools: Working Wood in Eighteenth-Century America (Williamsburg, VA: The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, 1993).;

Historical Price: 6 pence per dozen; Modern USD: $5.6

Product Variations

The databases record six purchases of awls. They were sold by the dozen and their prices range from five to six pence.