The Great Charleston Slave Sale or the John Ball Jr. Estate Slave Auction was a slave auction held in Charleston, South Carolina, by the firm Jervey, Waring & White. The firm sold six hundred enslaved africans at market and made US$222,800 (equivalent to $6,953,516 in 2025). Currently, it is the largest known single sale of Slaves in U.S. History.
In 1834 a wealthy planter by the name of John Ball Jr. died leaving behind a vast estate. His heirs did not want his estate so much of it was put up for public auction, being given to Jervey, Waring & White to sell.
The slave auction was held on February 24, 1835, at 24 Broad Street in Charleston. The firm sold the six hundred enslaved africans at market and made US$222,800 (equivalent to $6,953,516 in 2025). Ball's heir Ann Ball bought 215 of the 600 for US$79,855 (equivalent to $2,492,249 in 2025).
Today at the location of the auction, a memorial plague has been erected, commemorating the significance of what happened. Today the event is felt deeply by local african-american communities who feel the recently unearthed event strikes a chord with their struggles today. Its newfound significance and place above that of the âÂÂweeping timeâ auction, gave reason to remember it.