Prices in the olden days...

[Dosing]

I managed to pick these up recently, I presume 50s-60s (date codes are covered over), but loved the prices written on the boxes:
2.45$



Inflation, 3.20$


I know, I know, back then you could buy a Chevy, two pizzas and 20 acres of farm land for 2$, but still. Reminds me of buying ammo for .25$ a round in the early 90s, versus 4$ a round for 300WM now...

 

[kamlooky]

I still remember $2.50 an hour wages bawt more reebs than mimimun wagers now................

 

[saskbooknut]

And some of us remember 85 cent hourly - little left over for shooting supplies.
Relatively, these are the good times.
And yes, I know that some are underemployed or out of work.

 

[rockport guy]

The first VCR I bought about 1989.. think I paid 700 for it!

 

[Chas59]

Takes me back to my much younger days, hanging out at the Fraser Arms in south Vancouver, filling our table with 25 cent glasses of draft beer at last call while dodging the bar fights. But then again, youth is wasted on the young...

 

[3macs1]

And some of us remember 85 cent hourly - little left over for shooting supplies.
Relatively, these are the good times.
And yes, I know that some are underemployed or out of work.

LOL I started at 95 cents big money and then 3 years later the union came in and we went to $2.00
I thought I was rich
Cheers

 

[3macs1]

The first VCR I bought about 1989.. think I paid 700 for it!

I remember paying that in 86 for our first microwave just after we were married
Cheers

 

[retiredsaf]

1961 when I went into the Army I was paid $15.00 twice a month. $1.00 a day and I still had enough to buy smokes and a soft drink when I wanted one.

 

[Slamfire]

CIL Imperial 300 WM ammo for $8.98. Probably late 1960's vintage. Obtained from an estate sale a while back. Fired just fine from my rifle.

 

[Geoman]

Now when I was a boy the paper was 3 cents, chips were 5 and a box of 50 black Russia 22lr was 50 cents! The coal man delivered coal in 100 lb bags and milk was delivered by horse and wagon to the door (we were one of the last routes and lived close to the dairy). In the mid 60's a LE Jungle Carbine put me back $13 for a real nice one and a Cooey 82 was $19 delivered to the door. Wages were in sync with prices and my $1.35 an hour went pretty far. On the flip side they couldn't fix cataracts as good as they do now and flying around is tons cheaper these day. Always some good with the bad

 

[Slamfire]

Another estate sale find. Peters 300 WM ammo for $7.53 original price. Likely 1960's vintage. Fired no problem in my rifle.

 

[bobdbldr]

LOL I started at 95 cents big money and then 3 years later the union came in and we went to $2.00
I thought I was rich
Cheers

Yep, $.95 hr. hopgoods IGA, once you had 3 months experience, went to $1.05 and .25 cent draft at the red fox! Somewhere between $.50 and .75 for a pack of .22 cartridges.

 

[bobdbldr]

Now when I was a boy the paper was 3 cents, chips were 5 and a box of 50 black Russia 22lr was 50 cents! The coal man delivered coal in 100 lb bags and milk was delivered by horse and wagon to the door (we were one of the last routes and lived close to the dairy). In the mid 60's a LE Jungle Carbine put me back $13 for a real nice one and a Cooey 82 was $19 delivered to the door. Wages were in sync with prices and my $1.35 an hour went pretty far. On the flip side they couldn't fix cataracts as good as they do now and flying around is tons cheaper these day. Always some good with the bad��

Yep!

 

[Ganderite]

Takes me back to my much younger days, hanging out at the Fraser Arms in south Vancouver, filling our table with 25 cent glasses of draft beer at last call while dodging the bar fights. But then again, youth is wasted on the young...

When I was in University, draft was 10 cents. 2 glasses for 25 cents (with tip)

I recall being offered a P38 with holster for $25. Did not have that much.

And offered a commercial Luger Carbine in 30 cal for $125. Did not have that much net worth.

22 ammo was 50 cents a box. Which seemed expensive because we tried to stick with the free DND ammo.

 

[3macs1]

Yep, $.95 hr. hopgoods IGA, once you had 3 months experience, went to $1.05 and .25 cent draft at the red fox! Somewhere between $.50 and .75 for a pack of .22 cartridges.

LOL Coop here same line of work
Cheers

 

[cement head]

I have a partial box of Winchester 270 super X with a price of $3.99 . and the sticker was from Simpsons Sears. a yellow box. made in Canada.

 

[Dosing]

Another estate sale find. Peters 300 WM ammo for $7.53 original price. Likely 1960's vintage. Fired no problem in my rifle.

Damn! 300wm for less than 8$s. The cheapest I can recall paying was about 15$ for Hansen stuff in the early 90s. If I found old imperial for 17-18$ a box I was pretty happy. About that time IIRC Fed Premium (which was sooooo nice then) was about 35$

 

[Slamfire]

Winchester ammo prices from the 1981 Barotto Sports catalog. They were a retail and mail order outfit based in Calgary back in the day.

 

[Mad-Dog]

All through my high school days, I supported my shotgunning habits buying 12 gauge Sellier & Bellot field loads at Canadian Tire for $1.99 a box. Doesn't sound like a lot, but that represented three hours of babysitting wages! Canuck and Imperial ammo then were at the outlandish prices of $4 and $5 plus a box, and definitely out of my budget. This was late 60s and early 70s.

I have a different view altogether on the rifle side, then compared to today. Nowadays, premium centrefire cartridges for my calibres run $70 to $80 plus a box. I would shudder if I stopped to compare what you and I earned then to what we earn today adjusted for inflation. Many of us haven't experienced real growth in our wages for a long time, but that's a separate issue. As I see it, rifle ammo is better quality now by far, so I have fewer problems in adjusting to today's prices, even when they seem outrageous. We are getting what we pay for. I don't think that could always be said in the past, however.

 

[MiG25]

I have a 1961 catalog.

Among others.

22 Hornet, Dominion $2.90/20, Remington $8.45/50
243, Dominion $4.65, Remington $5.40
6.5 Mannlicher, Dominion $5
30-30, Dominion $4.10, Remington $4.70
30-06, Dominion $5.10, Remington $6
300 H&H, Dominion $6.45, Remington $7.55
375 H&H, Remington $8.20
458 Win, Remington $10

The Winchester Model 70 Featherweight is $154.15, the African $343.65, the 94 $93.05, the 88 $159.40, the 100 $171.85, the 12 $121.

Savage 99F $134.85, 99DL $142.90, 99E $107.80

Remington 742A $153.50, 742F $1102.75, 760A $132.25, 760F $1110.95, 725ADl $154.25, 725F $1120.75, 721 $112.25, Nylon 66 $59.75

And so on.