On E-bay someone is selling a stove catalog page from the year 1937. This page lists a Coleman 4F priced at $4.95. I took the 1937 $4.95 price and plugged it into an online inflation calculator and the resulting 2011 price tag would be $77.87. Currently the Coleman web page lists the "Classic 2-Burner Stove" at $79.99. The pricing is surprisingly close.
Interesting, David L. I did a comparison of 'then and now' prices with a couple of early models of butane stoves, so from a later era ... Jet Gaz and Bleuet stove prices ... and thought them expensive in their day. John
Why not create some estimates for some stoves for what they might cost some 20-30 or 50 years from now? Purely for speculation of course.
Perhaps instead of buying TIPS for inflation protection in my retirement account I should be buying stoves. The only disadvantage is liquidty.
There is a huge difference. Back in 1937 Coleman most likely spent a good deal to make a stove. Guessing 20$ plus labour, shipping, packing. Now they spend the bare minimal $$$ a stove and they will last if lucky 20 years. Jeff
After consulting the Wayback Machine I think $20 would be excessive. Average wages in the US was about $34 a week! Thats $0.85 per hour... 30 years later (1967), the minium wage was a whopping $1.25 USD per hour. I know, I was there, and making that magnificent wage.
Steve, I made that same wage in my first "real" job, in 1966. Over time, the price of manufactured goods, like the price of food, has fallen in real terms.
