What the 1866 Annual Assay Commission was served for dinner. Liquor & cigars added.
RogerB
Posts: 8,852 ✭✭✭✭✭
This is the list of foods served to the Assay Commission for dinner on February 13 and 14, 1866 at the Philadelphia Mint. Presumably ham was served one day and turkey the other, with oysters available by the bucket full!
"Philadelphia
United States Mint
Pay to John Erwin
[Assay Commission dinner February 13-14, 1866.]
2000 Stewed Oysters $60.00
10 Quarts Salad 25.00
2 Boiled Hams 12.00
Celery for the table 2.00
Strawberry sauce 2.00
5 lbs. Cheese 1.50
5 lbs. Crackers 0.80
Cole slaugh (slaw) for table 1.00
4 lbs. Butter 3.00
1 peck Potatoes 1.00
6 doz. Rasp. Rolls 3.60
10 loaves bread 0.50
2 doz. Knives 1.00
Hired china & glasses 4.11
3 Men’s services 18.00
2 Boned turkeys 27.00
[Total] $162.51"
Comments
Sounds pretty good.
Valentines dinner courtesy of the mint.
"A dog breaks your heart only one time and that is when they pass on". Unknown
Wondering what "Men's services" is a euphemism for.
Keeper of the VAM Catalog • Professional Coin Imaging • Prime Number Set • World Coins in Early America • British Trade Dollars • Variety Attribution
Sounds like a substantial meal...Heck, dinner out for two can come to that at some restaurants now....and no wine was included....I wonder if it was BYOB...
Cheers, RickO
Butter was a high cost item back then
Waiters.
Wine, bourbon and cigars were also served, but I've not located the invoice.
Here's the liquor and cigar bill for the 1867 Assay Commission. The 1866 event was probably similar.
"Invoice for liquor and cigars for Annual Assay Commission.
Patterson, Coane & Co.
February 6, 1867
1 Case champagne Veuve Clicquot $36.00
1 Case champagne Gold Seal 34.00
1 Gallon Rodman Brandy 16.00
1 Gallon Old Amontillada Sherry 10.00
3 Gallon Old Whiskey 18.00
2 boxes Segars 24.00
3 dozen Burton’s Ale 13.50
[Total] $151.50"
"Burton's Ale" sounds familiar. Maybe from a token or an encased postage stamp or something.
Edited to add: It is a type of ale, not so much a brand name.
https://beerandbrewing.com/dictionary/cLbpLZVmEF/burton-ale/
So the bill for the booze and tobacco was almost as much as the banquet meals and catering fees? I wonder if they could see much less read the scale when they were done?
3 gallons of Old Whiskey for only $6.00 sounds like pretty sketchy spirits.
Last resort type stuff.
"If I say something in the woods and my wife isn't there to hear it.....am I still wrong?"
My Washington Quarter Registry set...in progress
How many people were on the Assay Commission or at the event?
Whiskey is cheap to make. It is the taxes that make modern booze expensive.
Typo -- The whiskey was $6/gallon or $18 total.
Surprised a set of dueling pistols not included with inventory...should be necessary after that amount of wash.
Sounds "yummy" !!!
Sounds like a normal business dinner.
That's a lot of oysters