How much honey per hive?

One of the many questions I get asked is “how much honey will I get from my hive?” It is a good question with the standard “it depends” beekeeper’s answer. I confess to not keeping records that would allow me to answer with any degree of accuracy. I know beekeepers that get much more per hive than I can, so I was pleased to find this “how much” answer from July 27, 1876. It would appear that not much has changed in 138 years of beekeeping. Now if I only knew what “a cap of beautiful honey” entailed. Could it be a frame? A fully capped frame of comb honey is a beautiful thing!