The selling price of slaves naturally presents itself at this point. In Kentucky these records are very few because the tax books in practically all the counties of the State have been destroyed. We have no accurate statements extant before about the year 1855. The prices which we have obtained are quotations from the auction of slaves of estates to settle the interests of the heirs. On January court day, in 1855, there were sold in the settlement of estates in Bourbon, Fayette, Clark and Franklin Counties Negro men who brought $1,260, $1,175, $1,070, $1,378, $1,295, $1,015 and $1,505.[276] The county commissioner of Harrison auctioned the slaves of the deceased George Kirkpatrick with the following prices received: America 40 years of age } Peggy 6 years of age } all for $1,600 Eliza 4 years of age } Brown 6 months of age } Peter 23 years of age $1,290 Emanuel 24 years of age 750 Tom 16 years of age 1,015 Ann 14 years of age 775 Emma 12 years of age 865 Sarah 26 years of age 350[277] The county commissioner at Henderson received the following prices for slaves in the settlement of several estates on January 28, 1858:[278] Ruth 33 years of age $ 800 Willis 59 years of age 475 George 35 years of age 1,200 Delphy 80 years of age 75 Leila 65 years of age 282 Clarissa 24 years of age 1,131 Andrew 19 years of age 1,500 Susan 17 years of age 470 Jennie 17 years of age 1,100 Cupid 85 years of age 74 Eliza 32 years of age 500 Bell 41 years of age 1,000 This sale is most significant for the cases of "Delphy," 80 years old, and "Cupid," 85 years of age. It is difficult to account for such a sale in any discussion of the slave trade, but it does show the humanitarian side of Kentucky slavery. Negroes at such an age had no economic value even if they were given away, because the expense of their maintenance was more than the value of any possible labor they could perform. At Georgetown in December of the same year we have this record:[279] Griffin 45 years of age $ 640 Mary 14 years of age 1,060 Ellen 12 years of age 800 Elizabeth 11 years of age 406 (one-eyed) Sanford 9 years of age 700 Arabel 10 years of age 690 Adam 41 years of age 700 Bettie 3 years of age 260 Aaron 28 years of age 1,191 Sam 25 years of age 1,350 The auction of the slaves of the estate of Spencer C. Graves at Lexington in April, 1859, brought these prices:[280]