As a fiction-first, mythopoetic, immersivist kind of qween, I like to consider rough translations of prices into the money/value system I'm used to handling me own self: US dollars. From my investigations around the web, I've come to the conclusion that a copper piece can be roughly considered to be worth $2-5 (to forestall possible flames: note just how WIDE that range is). This would make the 1000gp
ladle of candle-making worth about $200,000-$500,000.
This site suggests a candle business would need an annual budget of around $10,000, all told. But that's a very modern number, mind. Candles were much more of a luxury item way back in the day, linked to the slaughter of meat-sources (animals), which was uncommon at best ~ their value is more in their potential to become things than in their becoming those things. Typically, a household would spend mebbe a couple consecutive days (prolly less) turning animal fat into light sources for the rest of the year. They'd make, I'd guess, a thousand max (which would require the slaughter of quite a large percentage of their wealth and many person-hours). And that would last the rest of the year.
A ladle of candle-making could make three times that upper limit over the course of a year for free, easily make a bunch more with that massive skill bonus, and could respond to need rather than requiring budgeting/rationing of items over large periods of time. I'd imagine that'd be worth a good quarter million dollars' equivalent.
