Towards the end of 2012, the Fisher Library acquired one of the greatest extant treasures of early Canadiana – the "Price Current" of merchants Nathans and Hart, printed at Halifax in 1752.

"Rare" seems almost an understatement to describe this piece of ephemera; "unique" is certainly more apt since it is the sole surviving example of the third document printed in this country. The broadside advertises everything from New England Rum per gallon to Gloucester cheese per pound to pickled cod per barrel. No prices are included, allowing users to fill in that piece of information as needed.

Perhaps the most interesting feature about the document is the personnel behind it. Nathan Nathans and Naphtali Hart were Jewish businessmen who set up operations in Halifax at the beginning of 1752, having emigrated from Newport, Rhode Island, in 1750 or 1751. It has been estimated that in the early 1750s, although the Jews formed only about one per cent of the general population of Halifax, they constituted about twenty per cent of the mercantile community. This document, therefore, is not only an important relic of early Canadian printing, but also a significant witness to the often overlooked contributions of the Jewish community to the foundations of this nation.

Images from this broadside can be seen below. Click on image for a larger view.

Recent acquisition: Third document ever printed in Canada