Gunpowder Prices in 1895

[Tumblernotch]

Guess this is the right place to post this.

I was looking through an 1895 Montgomery Ward catalogue the other day and ran across these in the Gun section. Kinda makes you sick, but we have to remember that they had to work harder for what they made and money was still scarce for most people. Get a load of this:

Black Powder: DuPont Rifle & Shotgun Powder

Keg (25lbs.) fg,ffg,fffg,------$3.25

1/2 Keg------------------------$1.50

1/4 Keg------------------------$1.15

Can (1lb)------------------------.30

Choke Bore Powder

Keg----------------------------$4.86

1/2 Keg------------------------$2.76

1/4 Keg------------------------$1.50

Can------------------------------.46

DuPont Eagle Duck

Keg----------------------------$11.00

1/2 Keg------------------------$ 5.75

1/4 Keg------------------------$ 3.60

Can----------------------------$ .60

Gun Locks:

Back action Shotgun & Rifle Locks-- $.75 Better grade--$1.50

Shotgun Bar action Locks--$1.25 to $1.50

Bar lock for Rifle--$1.25

Gun Tubes (Nipples)--$.05 to $.20 each or $.50 to $2.00 per dozen.

Musket Tubes--$.06 ea. or $.63 per dozen.

Musket Tubes w/ small tops--$.08 ea. or $.84 per dozen.

Boy's Single Barrel Shotgun, 16 ga.--$2.75

Belgian Back Action Double Barrel, Imitation Twist, 11,12,13,14 ga.--$5.40

English Made Genuine Twist, checkered grip, 13 to 15 ga.--$8.75

Double Barrel w/ barrels made from new musket barrels, abt. 14 to 15 ga.--$5.00

Combination sight (Blade with Folding Globe)-$.75

Lyman New Front Sight w/ globe or aperture combination--$.75

Mainsprings--$.20 to $.30

Kentucky Pattern double set triggers--$.75

Swivel tumblers--$.50 to $.75, Labor for fitting tumblers--$1.50 to $2.50

Mouthwatering, huh?

 

[CoyoteJoe]

Not such a great deal if you were working for 50c a day.

 

[mazo kid]

Yeah, those prices are looking great now, but everything is relative. As Coyote Joe says, people were making much less then, so those prices were maybe like we are paying today. I've got one original DuPont powder can from the early 20th century that is marked $1.25.

 

[hthomso]

My inflation calculator goes only to 2009. But the 1895 keg would be $82.70 and the can $7.63 in 2009 dollars

 

[Pete Gaimari]

I guess the DuPont Eagle Duck was like the Swiss of that time.

 

[Tumblernotch]

My inflation calculator goes only to 2009. But the 1895 keg would be $82.70 and the can $7.63 in 2009 dollars

Goes to show that those prices are not bad. I bought a keg of DuPont last Summer for $125. I thought I would pee myself I was so happy. One thing we have to remember is that anyone who used enough powder to buy a keg at a time was most likely wealthy enough not to worry about it. And most who bought a can or two at a time were farmers who didn't spend all day at the range but used only what they needed for hunting and varmint control along with an occasional shooting match with the neighbors. Cash money was short, but most who lived out in the country didn't need much other than to pay their taxes and buy the food staples they couldn't produce themselves or barter for or to pay the local blacksmith for tool repairs they couldn't do themselves. There was a much narrower disbursement of funds than what we have to deal with.

 

[gearheart]

And the IRS didn't take nearly as big a cut off the top. most of what you made was your's. :haha:

 

[Trench]

And the IRS didn't take nearly as big a cut off the top. most of what you made was your's. :haha:

Good point. Individual Income Tax wasn't constitutional until 1916.

 

[Maynerd62411]

BUT on the up side, it was delivered with no questions or paperwork. :hmm:

 

[shmrck1]

KR,
Ain't much difference during my lifetime
though.
When I started smoking ciggs were $2.30
a carton.Today $55 + or - a few cents a carton,
and in some areas much higher than that
I think when I started driving as a teenager,
gas was like 25/26 cents a gallon.
Out of High School my first new car was a
Austin-Healy Sprite.$1800 tax/title etc.Monthly
car payment $67. First draft beer I drank at 18
was 15cents.
I am sure we all have such tales we can tell.

 

[Zonie]

The 1902 SEARS, ROBUCK & CO catalog had the following prices (shown in blue) to compare with KanawhaRanger's 1895 Wards prices (shown in black)

Black Powder: DuPont Rifle & Shotgun Powder

Keg (25lbs.) fg,ffg,fffg,------$3.25 $4.00

1/2 Keg------------------------$1.50 $2.25

1/4 Keg------------------------$1.15 $1.25

Can (1lb)------------------------.30 $0.30

Choke Bore Powder

Keg----------------------------$4.86 $5.00

1/2 Keg------------------------$2.76 $2.75

1/4 Keg------------------------$1.50 $1.50

Can------------------------------.46 $0.35

DuPont Eagle Duck

Keg----------------------------$11.00 $8.00

1/2 Keg------------------------$ 5.75 $4.25

1/4 Keg------------------------$ 3.60 $2.25

Can----------------------------$ .60 $0.45

DuPont Special V. G. P. Brand
12 1/2 pound keg------------------$2.25


6 1/4 pound keg--------------------$1.25


Sear's 1902 catalog showed very few gun parts and it was difficult to compare their gun's with those KanawhaRanger gave because they carried different models of many of them.

 

[CoyoteJoe]

I suspect most of those kegs went to retail stores where it was resold by the cup or pint.