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Original 1922 Montgomery Ward Radio Catalog...

exdjted

exdjted

While cleaning out my Mother's house now that she's in the nursing home, my wife came across an original 1922 Montgomery Ward Radio Catalog with the order form and envelope still inside. It's in remarkable shape for being 103 years old. Don't know what I'll do with it, but thought some of you may enjoy some of the pictures and content. I'll post a few here. If any more are requested, I could post them later.IMG_20250926_190111295.jpgIMG_20250926_190111295.jpgIMG_20250926_184527596.jpgIMG_20250926_184309212.jpgIMG_20250926_190111295.jpg
 
What always fascinated me was the advertising of the radio stations themselves. How they saw their place in the media landscape of their day
 
The price for a wireless set back then must have been unaffordable for the low and many middle income households back then. For example, I like the set advertised for $99.00. What would that be in today's dollars? Can anyone guess?
 
KilowattKat said:
The price for a wireless set back then must have been unaffordable for the low and many middle income households back then. For example, I like the set advertised for $99.00. What would that be in today's dollars? Can anyone guess?
Click to expand...

yeoldeschool said:
One inflation calculator I used suggested it would fall into the low $3,000 range.
Click to expand...

I don't know what you're using, but I always use the one at the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, since they are the agency that calculates the Consumer Price Index and are therefore likely to have the most accurate figures on inflation.

$99.00 in January 1922 has the same spending power as $1,897.85 today.

www.bls.gov

CPI Inflation Calculator

www.bls.gov www.bls.gov
 
K.M. Richards said:
I don't know what you're using, but I always use the one at the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, since they are the agency that calculates the Consumer Price Index and are therefore likely to have the most accurate figures on inflation.

$99.00 in January 1922 has the same spending power as $1,897.85 today.

www.bls.gov

CPI Inflation Calculator

www.bls.gov www.bls.gov
Click to expand...
In other words, a high-end radio cost about what an medium size higher-end flat screen TV costs today.
 
K.M. Richards said:
I don't know what you're using, but I always use the one at the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, since they are the agency that calculates the Consumer Price Index and are therefore likely to have the most accurate figures on inflation.

$99.00 in January 1922 has the same spending power as $1,897.85 today.
Click to expand...
Thanks.
 
I have one Sears set from about 1925 give or take; the whole radio was branded "W-L-S". It has an original battery and I think even it is branded that way. They didn't miss a chance to promote their station! "World's Largest Store"

Wards offered good quality merchandise; I gather this slightly predates the use of their Airline trademark. I have a full Wards catalog from the later 20s, which I keep on display with a radio included within.
 
Mediafrog+ said:
Many tech savvy people in the early 1920s constructed their own radios. Crystal radios had been around for many years at the time, and vacuum tube sets could be assembled from individual parts. Very simple circuits that nonetheless did the job.
Click to expand...
As a kid, I remember saving up my allowance and running down to the local Radio Shack (for me that was like a candy store) and buying a Science Fair Crystal Radio Kit. A receiver at It's most simplistic That's was the first of many radio kits to come....
 
KilowattKat said:
As a kid, I remember saving up my allowance and running down to the local Radio Shack (for me that was like a candy store) and buying a Science Fair Crystal Radio Kit. A receiver at It's most simplistic That's was the first of many radio kits to come....
Click to expand...
I had one of the multi-project science kit boards they sold in the late 1980s. The crystal receiver was the first project I wanted to do.

K.M. Richards said:
Memory flogger for Kat:
Click to expand...
Was this one yours? What year is it from?
 


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