MISTER JESTER PINN
Mister Jester Pinn sold for $20,000 which was the record price for a Jersey bull born in the US at the time. He was owned by Sunbeam farms in North Carolina. He was scored Excellent and a Senior Superior Sire. His first crop of daughters averaged 88.4% and averaged 11,031 lbs 5.2% 578 lbs fat in 1958. He was marketed very interestingly.
His semen in 1958 was $300 a ampoule flown to the nearest airport to you. But in order to get any you had to submit a list of the cows and their registration numbers you were going to use the amps on. You had to mail a check before they would airmail you the amps. The $300 was however a guaranteed live calf and if you got a heifer calf you got another free ampoule as they expected that anyone purchasing an ampoule would only want to get a bull calf. The $300 per shot in 2014 money is between $2500 and $3000. A 1958 dispersal sale of John Fisher's herd averaged $298 per cow. So in 1958 you could buy one cow for the ampoule. That means you can buy 1 or 2 cows per dose today. How many people are going to use $3000 semen ?
Pinn was a linebred bull back to Brampton Basilua with her appearing in 4 out of 8 great grand parents in his pedigree.
His six generation pedigree is here
The story of Sunbeam farms who paid $20,000 for him is here
Sunbeam Farms story - North Carolina Jersey History Book (2013).pdf
Mister Jester Pinn in historical context is here
Mister Jester Pinn - in historic context.pdf
Some of Pinn's daughters
Many thanks to
Jersey Origins and Bill Maness
for all of the above information.
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