finley_lee•2mo agoProlific Poster

Found a 1920s glass catalog in my grandpa's attic with prices that blew my mind

I was cleaning out his place in Toledo and found this old trade catalog from a company called 'American Window Glass'. A single pane of 1/4 inch clear glass, 24x36, was listed for 85 cents. Adjusted for inflation, that's still under $15 today. I can't even get the raw material for that. Has anyone else come across old pricing that makes you appreciate modern supply chains, or just feel a little jealous?

3 comments

3 Comments

luna_sanchez26d ago

Hey, that's a bummer about the inflation math. Still, 85 cents back then must have felt like a decent deal compared to what we deal with now. It really makes you think about how much the whole system has changed since then.

janaf762mo ago

Wow, that's a cool find but I have to point something out. Your inflation math might be a little off. I just ran the numbers and 85 cents in 1925 is actually more like $15 today, not under $10. Still crazy cheap compared to now, of course. Makes you wonder how much of the cost today is the material versus everything else like shipping and markup.

luna_jackson282mo ago

Right, @janaf76, and think about the marketing costs now.