Chicago Lightning is a romantic suspense novel that begins with the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre in Chicago on February 14, 1929 and ends around midnight two days later in Five Points, New York City.
I’ve compiled a price list of common foods, household items, clothing, and activities. While the prices are generalities, you’ll get a rough idea of what things cost back then. Images from clipartlibrary.com.
General prices nationwide – 1925-1929
- Alarm clock – 2.39-3.39/each
- Almonds, sugar coated – .49/lb
- Airplane travel, one-way, cross-country – 338.
- Baby stroller – 13.95/each
- Bacon, 1 lb – .47
- Bananas – .23/dozen
- Bath powder – .45/container
- Bayer Aspirin, 100 ct bottle – .98
- Bed sheets – 72″ X 90″ – 1.23-1.69/each
- Bicycle – 36.00-45.00/each
- Bloomers – women’s, 2.00/pair
- Bread ,1 lb. – .10
- Butter, 1 lb. .56
- Candy, chocolates – .39/lb box
- Cantaloupes – .23/two
- Car – Cadillac – used, 7 passenger touring ‘late model’ 850
- Car – Model T 1927 $290
- Car – Oldsmobile, 2 door sedan 925
- Cereal, Post Toasties or Kellogg’s Corn Flakes –.07/pkg
- Cheese, 1 lb. – .38
- Cheese, Kraft, American – .39/lb
- Cherries – .23/lb
- Coat, men’s gabardine – 4.95/each
- Coffee, 1 lb – .45
- Cookies, National Biscuit Company, Oreos – .35/lb
- Corned beef hash – .29/can
- Cornmeal, 1 lb – .07
- Curtain – .87-1.59/pair
- Doctor, house call – 5.00
- Doctor, office visit – 2.00
- Dress, women’s sleeveless flannel – 4.95/each
- Eggs – .59/doz
- Flour, 5 lbs – .31
- Gasoline, 1 gal in 1920 – .30
- Gasoline, 1 gal in 1929 – .21
- Hair brush – .49/each
- Hair cut, men’s – .25
- Hair cut, women – $5.00 | $2.00 weekly style
- Hat, men’s straw – 1.95-3.85/each
- House – $4200 – $6300
- Iron, electric – 3.69-4.95/each
Juice, grape – .23/pint bottle- Laundry detergent – .25/three pkgs
- Mason jars – .75/pint and .85/quart
- Matches – .25/six big boxes
- Meat: Beef Rib Roast, 1 lb. – .39
- Meat: Chicken, 1 lb – .42
- Meat: Ham, cooked –, .28/lb
- Meat: Ham, sliced 1 lb – .57
- Meat: Round steak – .36/lb
- Milk, ½ gal – .28
- Milk, 16 oz evaporated can – .11
- Movie ticket 1920 – .07
- Movie ticket 1929 – .35
- Newspaper – .02/daily paper
- Oranges – .57/ doz
- Peaches, Georgia – .25/two lbs
- Peanut butter – .08/tumbler
- Permanent wave, Genuine oil method – 10.00/person
- Pork & beans – .25/three cans
- Postage stamp – .02
- Potatoes ,10 lbs – .36
- Radio in 1920 – $200
- Radio in 1929 – $35
- Refrigerator – 210.00-270.00/each
- Salary, avg yearly – $1500
- Scooters, children’s – 2.98-4.50/each
- Shirt, men’s Madra s – 1.55/each
- Shoes, children’s – 1.95/pair
- Shoes, men’s Oxfords – 3.65/pair
- Shoes, tennis , Keds – .98/pair
- Shoes, women’s dress – 4.95-6.95/pair
- Soap, Ivory 12 cakes – .43
- Soap, Palmolive – .20/3 cakes
- Soda, ginger ale – .25/three bottles
- Stove/Range, gas – 51.75/each
- Sugar, 5 lbs. – .35
- Suit, men’s flannel – 8.95/each
- Tea, 1 lb – .75
- Toilet paper – .25/four rolls
- Tomatoes – .23/two lbs
- Towels, bath – 3.00/six towels
- Trousers, men’s worsteds – 2.90-4.90/pair
- Union suit, men’s suit – .87/each
- Wagons, children’s – 5.25-6.75/each
- Watermelon – .59/each
- Waxed paper – .09/50 sheets
- Wrigley’s Spearmint Gum – .39/ pkg
Until next time,
Kaye Spencer
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Day 1 – Jan. 25th – Chicago Lightning – book video
Day 2 – Jan. 26th – Micro Excerpt #1
Day 3 – Jan. 27th – Notable Events of the 1920s – 1920 through 1924
Day 4 – Jan. 28th – Notable Events of the 1920s – 1925 through 1929
Day 5 – Jan. 29th – Chapter 1 Micro Excerpt
Day 6 – Jan. 30th – Slang – 1920s era
Day 7 – Jan. 31st – Pre-order
Day 8 – Feb. 1st – 1920s Kitchen
Day 9 – Feb. 2nd – ‘Roaring 20s’
Day 10 – Feb. 3rd – Chapter 2 – Micro Excerpt #2
Day 11 – Feb. 4th – 4 Roaring Twenties Movies
Day 12 – Feb. 5th – 1928 Phantom 1 Rolls-Royce
Day 13 – Feb. 6th – Speakeasy
Day 14 – Feb. 7th – Chapter 2 – Micro Excerpt #3
Day 15 – Feb. 8th – Pre-FBI – brief history
Day 16 – Feb. 9th – 1920s radio
Day 17 – Feb. 10th – Release Day, Micro Excerpt #4, and bullet resistant clothing
Day 18 – Feb. 11th – “The Hedge”
Day 19 – Feb. 12th – What did it cost? 1925-1929
Day 20 – Feb. 13th – Hello? Who’s calling?
Day 21 – Feb. 14th – 1920s reference books and book video
Resources;
American By Air |Autopsis | Food Timeline |Hartford Courant | Morris County Library | The People History