Editor’s note: Using an inflation calculator, the 1899 rate for the four new shoes and two pads would grow from $5 to nearly $150 in today’s buying power.
To some this is just an old invoice. But as a farrier, I see the history of our trade. It also tells me of the value of a farrier. The invoice on this page is from services performed by farrier Daniel Ward for the New York City Fire Department. These horses would pull the fire engine. A client of mine gave it to me after she had bought it for 50 cents at a yard sale in New York state.
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