13: for some, an unlucky number; for Bakers, a dozen.

Isn't it hard to believe my genes may contain some of the remnants of the scoundrel Bakers of yesteryear?

Long before the Enron and Bre-X scams, long before we had aluminum-siding and used-car salesmen...we had the Bakers. The Bakers were notorious for taking short positions to the marketplaces of the Middle Ages. Certainly, as far back as 1000 years ago, the Bakers were known to sell a dozen buns or pies and deliver as few as 10 or 11. I guess the Baker clan somehow evolved to the point they had a flair for profiteering. And, the Bakers' scheme of over-promising and under-delivering worked well 1000 years ago because, apparently, in those days the typical purchaser of baked goods could not count up to 12. 

On occasion, however, a purchaser of baked goods could count past 10 and an objection would be filed against the Baker. That did little to improve the Baker's counting. Unfortunately for the Baker clan, during the 13th Century [yes, a Baker's Dozen of centuries] laws were created to place and enforce penalties on the customer-cheating Bakers. Penalties included the loss of a hand...if the Baker was found guilty of delivering 11 instead of a dozen then the Baker would have a hand cut off. 

That really improved the Bakers' ability to count.

It also brought about a paradigm change for Bakers. Bakers, in fear of losing more hands, made a habit of delivering 13 when they sold a dozen. That provided a factor of safety for the Bakers. And, it paved the path for the better-Baker business we now enjoy. 

So, while many feel 13 is an unlucky number...to this day, Bakers like it a whole lot better than 10 or 11 or even 12.

2013, no doubt about it, a good year for Bakers...expect them to over-deliver.