Here’s a snapshot of grocery prices a hundred years ago today, from the January 16, 1921, edition of the Washington Evening Star and this ad for Piggly Wiggly.  The idea itself of a self-service grocery store was relatively new, the company having been founded in Tennessee only five years earlier.  A number of familiar brand names are evident here, such as Crisco, Mazola, Wesson, Lux, Kellogg’s Corn Flakes, and Quaker Oats.

When comparing pre-1964 prices, one useful way of doing the comparison is to look at the cost of silver.  One dollar in 1921 meant one silver dollar, four silver quarters, or ten silver dimes.  Either way, it was approximately an ounce of silver, which is currently about $26.  So for a rough comparison, you can multiply these prices by 26 to find out what the equivalent is in today’s money.

For example, a pound of sugar was 9 cents, which would work out to about $2.25 today.  Then (as now), dry beans were described as “the cheapest food in America today.”  A pound of navy beans was 6 cents, or about $1.50 in today’s money.

To compare prices, the links above go to Amazon.  If you make a purchase after clicking on one of the links, this site earns a small commission.