March 3, 2010
Ever wondered about the actual dollar value of the vintage clothes in old clothing catalogs such as Sears, Spiegel, or Bella Hess? (BTW all the images below are from Bella Hess catalogs) I always see "$1.98" for a dress and I'm thinking "Oh my gosh, how cheap is that?!?" I do realize the value of the dollar is much different than back then, even from 10 years ago it's different... so here are just some fun number figures to show what today's price would be for vintage clothes.


$19.98 in 1924 is approximately $249 today.
Note the advertisement reads "2 Wonderful Bargains!" *hehe*


From 1924: $14.98 = $187.00, $5.98 = $75.00, $8.98 = $112.00


From 1940 Catalog: $.95 = $14.65, $1.00 = $29.00
Thrifty prices indeed!


From 1957 Catalog: $2.99 = $23.40, $1.99 = $15.60, $5.99 = $46.90


So just a quick rundown...
In the 1910s... $1.00 is about the same as $21.60 today
In the 1920s... $1.00 is about the same as $11.40 today
In the 1930s... $1.00 is about the same as $12.60 today
In the 1940s... $1.00 is about the same as $15.40 today
In the 1950s... $1.00 is about the same as $9.15 today
In the 1960s... $1.00 is about the same as $7.35 today
In the 1970s... $1.00 is about the same as $5.73 today
In the 1980s... $1.00 is about the same as $2.82 today
In the 1990s... $1.00 is about the same as $1.71 today

As much as I would like to claim I am a super genius and got all these facts and figures through sheer brain power, I found a handy dandy inflation calculator.

8 comments:

  1. What a great post! I love this!!

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  2. `sigh I would love it if vintage clothes were still selling at those low prices. I would buy so much hehehe Imagine 100 dresses for $100, oh a girl can dream :)

    kimvee.blogspot.com
    ohmyvintage.blogspot.com
    omvintage.etsy.com

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  3. welcome back and what a fantastic post! i just got a spiegel top from etsy. i can't tell which era it's from...

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  4. That is so neat! I always wondered how much those prices would translate to in todays dollars. Thanks for sharing :)

    http://vintageinamodernworld.blogspot.com/

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  5. Thanks for that post Rodelle! So I guess we are getting ripped of today?

    I love your 'educational' posts - there is so much to learn on this vintage fashion journey!

    Bec from
    mitzilovesopshops.blogspot.com

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  6. i guess these sorta are bargains, because the clothing is quite beautiful

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Thank you for taking the time to leave me a little comment, I do try to respond back as often as I can. Have a lovely day! xoxo - Rodellee