[rustbucket]

Lincoln was offering $400 for slaves? The average slave price in the Deep South from 1856 to 1860 was $1,658. Source: Link.

I found the following prices in the January 29, 1850 State Gazette of Austin, Texas:

- Clinton, Georgia. 60 negroes sold, all field hands young and old included. Average price $905

- Hawkinsville, Georgia. Three male field hands sold for $1,380 to $1,510 apiece.

- Columbus, Georgia. Prices ranged from a low of $875 for one field hand to $2,010 for a blacksmith. Most field hands sold for about $1,500.

Perhaps slave prices were lower in the northern states that Lincoln's proposal covered.

[rustbucket]

Typo. January 29, 1850 State Gazette = January 29, 1859 State Gazette

That issue of the State Gazette also included a sale of 17 slaves for an average price of $707. This sale included seven infants and children. Clearly children and infants brought lower prices.