1902 ammo price list
- Thread starter m-134
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Those prices aren't quite as low as they seem to be at first glance. In those days, a dollar (US or Canadian) was convertible into gold at a rate of $20.67 per troy ounce, so it is fairly easy to compare prices in terms of gold. for 1,000 .45 Colt, $22.00 in 1902 dollars works out to 1.06 oz or $1479.43 in today's dollars for gold priced at around $1,390/oz.
For another example, .22LR at $6.00/1000 works out to 0.29 oz, or $403.48 today at the same gold price. .22 ammo is literally an order of magnitude less expensive today, save for very high-end stuff like Eley Tenex, which I am sure is of much higher quality than anything available in 1902.
While ammunition prices in constant-dollar terms currently aren't at the historic lows of around 8-10 years ago, they are still much lower than those of a century, or even 50 years ago.
For another example, .22LR at $6.00/1000 works out to 0.29 oz, or $403.48 today at the same gold price. .22 ammo is literally an order of magnitude less expensive today, save for very high-end stuff like Eley Tenex, which I am sure is of much higher quality than anything available in 1902.
While ammunition prices in constant-dollar terms currently aren't at the historic lows of around 8-10 years ago, they are still much lower than those of a century, or even 50 years ago.
Lest anyone wax melancholy about how expensive ammunition is today versus 1902, let's recall that the average wage back then was a princely $474 a YEAR. A case of 1,000 .38 S&W rounds for $13.50 in 1902, adjusted for inflation is $352.59 in 2012.
EDIT: tjhaile what calculator are YOU using!? $22 in 1902 is $574.59 in 2012. http://www.westegg.com/inflation/
EDIT: tjhaile what calculator are YOU using!? $22 in 1902 is $574.59 in 2012. http://www.westegg.com/inflation/
Nice, I have an old SIR catalogue stashed away somewhere. Weatherby rifles for $150. Can't remember the exact year, but it was in the age when a brand new Buick would run you about 5 grand. Of course, that's what my grandfather was making in a year at the time. Prices may make you nostalgic but the wages sure as hell won't.
My numbers assume a fairly constant purchasing power for a given quantity of gold. I first calculated the amount of gold based on the legally defined conversion rates from 1902 and multiplied that amount by today's gold price to come up with a present value.
Keep in mind that measuring inflation is not an easy task. Official CPI numbers are manipulated to downplay the actual rate of inflation. On the other hand, it may well be that improved technology has made gold less costly to produce and therefore lower its value relative to other commodities, which would make my numbers somewhat high. Maybe a number somewhere in the middle would be most accurate.
