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Commodity illustration: Cochineal

Category:Dyestuffs

Cochineal from New Spain

Standard price
900 pieces of eight for 100 kg
Surplus
700 pieces of eight
Scarcity
1,200 pieces of eight
Bulk
0.3 Tons

Equivalent to 3,000 pieces of eight per ton

Export regions

Cochineal is a dyestuff made from tiny dried insects. The silvery-grey grains seem unremarkable until they are crushed and yield an intense red. Small barrels are one way of carrying them.

Dyers buy cochineal for scarlet cloth, seeking clean lots without debris that adds weight but no colour. The insects live on cacti, especially in New Spain, where they are collected and dried. In the dyehouse, these grey grains provide the brilliant colour of a finished garment.

Sources and adaptations

References in the Pavillon Noir books:

  • La Révolte, p. 286, 308.
  • Carnet de Vercourt, p. 524, PDF pages 521.

Ludic RPG adaptations used on this page:

  • Goods sold by the 100 kg lot: bulk (house rule).

The description was written by Ludic RPG. Prices are game values expressed in pieces of eight.