OT? Guns and old Sears and Wards catalogs

[getitdone1]

Just received a couple of very interesting replica catalogs. Sears Roebuck and Montgomery Ward. Sears 1897, Wards 1895. What motivated me to buy them is I found an old Grain Cradle (Cradle and Scythe) stored overhead in my great grandfather's smokehouse a short distance from where I now live. May have found that Grain Cradle in the Sears catalog and will have to check for a name on it tomorrow. You might call this the mowing machine of yesteryear. Talk about hard work! I read farmers would cut about 2 acres a day with these. 40-80 acre farms were most common back then. Wheat, rye, barley and oats is what they cut with this tool. Oats for the horses!

My main reason for this post is to tell you about some of the guns and gun prices in these catalogs.

Winchester model 1873 carbine--10.94
Winchester model 1892 rifle--10.94
Winchester model 1886 carbine--12.83
Winchester model 1894 rifle--13.98 (Catalog says new 30 and 25-35 calibers.)
Winchester model '90 "Take Down"--9.72 (22 rim-fire)

Appears the 38-55 and 32-40 preceded the above calibers in the model 94.

Marlin model 1892 rifle--10.90
Marlin model 1894 rifle--10.94 carbine was 10.64. Hey, a penny mattered back then!
Marlin model 1891 rifle--10.94
Marlin model 1893 rifle--11.26
Marlin model 1895 rifle--13.16

Winchester 45-70, 405 gr smokeless--80 cents per box of 20.

Even lists Pin Fire pistol cartridges and shotgun shells in this Sears catalog.

Many more guns and cartridges shown in these catalogs. These catalogs can be purchased via the internet. Amazon.com, etc. About 12-13 dollars each.

Don

[Pitchy]

I have a couple of those catalogs too, neat to see the tools of yesterday. I like the steam toys they had for kids, i`ve collected a couple of them, Weeden is on brand that i have.

[AJMD429]

I like the ads that show the option of "with" or "without" thread-on suppressors, and they only cost a few bucks to add.

[wecsoger]

Just for the fun of it, I ran your numbers through one of the online inflation calculators, the one I used is here: http://www.westegg.com/inflation/

1897 dollars -- 2010 dollars
Winchester model 1873 carbine--10.94 -- $282.84
Winchester model 1892 rifle--10.94 -- $282.84
Winchester model 1886 carbine--12.83 -- $282.84
Winchester model 1894 rifle--13.98 (Catalog says new 30 and 25-35 calibers.) -- $331.71
Winchester model '90 "Take Down"--9.72 (22 rim-fire) -- $251.30

Marlin model 1892 rifle--10.90 -- $281.81
Marlin model 1894 rifle--10.94 -- $282.84
Marlin model 1891 rifle--10.94 -- $282.84
Marlin model 1893 rifle--11.26 -- $291.12
Marlin model 1895 rifle--13.16 -- $340.24

Winchester 45-70, 405 gr smokeless--80 cents per box of 20 -- $20.68

And the rifles of today have much better steel and more precise machining.

[pwl44m]

Hey getitdone, I didn't get a catalog this year so could U order Me a 73 and a 92 please. I will come pick them up. Thk U - Perry

[mklwhite]

And the rifles of today have much better steel and more precise machining.

Perhaps, but also less hand fitting/craftsmanship, they cost more and the Winchesters are (effectively) gone.
I would happily pay the adjusted prices for those guns.

[Pitchy]

I got off topic, sorry.

[Ben_Rumson]

Ran the numbers from a 1958 Stoeger's
Savage 99F cost $116.75 in 1958 would cost $870.22 in 2010
Marlin 336 SC cost $76.95 in 1958 would cost $573.56 in 2010
Winchester Model 94 carbine cost $79.95 in 1958 would cost $595.92 in 2010
Winchester Model 88 rifle cost $135.50 in 1958 would cost $1009.97 in 2010

and a 1967 Stoeger's

Savage 99F cost $137.50 in 1967 would cost $887.78 in 2010
Marlin 336 C cost $89.95 in 1967 would cost $580.77 in 2010
Winchester Model 94 carbine cost $84.95 in 1967 would cost $548.49 in 2010
Winchester Model 88 rifle cost $139.95 in 1967 would cost $903.60 in 2010
I note the post 64 Winnys cost less than they did 9 years before...

[KCSO]

A somewhat more realistic calculation might be pricing by the cost of gold or hours worked for item received. Inflation alone is not real reliable as it doesn't take into account the actual cost of living due to cultural differences. For example in 1890 you had no telephone, electricity, insurance payments, income tax sales tax, road tax, ect.

Now in 1890 for example a dollar a day was still pretty much working mans pay. If you worked 10 days you could buy a new Winchester carbine. Today that same 10 days might range up to $500 or more. That's a long shot from the $262 the inflation guide shows. In addition you need to factor in cost of living and what a person could save from their pay. Actual translation ob buying ppower is difficult to figure with real accuracy but in all non necessities today are somewhat cheaper than in 1890.

[Rusty]

I had a friend that tried to explain inflation to his kid that way once. They were pricing a gallon of gas. In his day he worked for $.15 an hour, about what a gallon of gas cost. Using that logic gas is still under priced at $5 a gallon.

[pwl44m]

I had a friend that tried to explain inflation to his kid that way once. They were pricing a gallon of gas. In his day he worked for $.15 an hour, about what a gallon of gas cost. Using that logic gas is still under priced at $5 a gallon.

Shhhhhhhh, don't let em hear that.Filled a 5 gallon can this morning for woodsplitter- 20 bucks.