[snowsislander]

15 pounds of potatoes, 10 pounds of flour, 5 pounds of sugar, 5 pounds of chuck roast, 3 pounds of round steak, 3 pounds of rice, 2 pounds each of cheese and bacon, and a pound each of butter and coffee... two loaves of bread, 4 quarts of milk and a dozen eggs.

Then 5 dollars was nearly a quarter ounce of gold. Today, a quarter ounce of gold is near $300.00. Could you buy this for $300?

Well, using the handy price checker feature at Albertsons.com (here), here's what I come up with:

Item	Price per item	Cost
15 lbs potatoes	$3.99 / 5 lbs	$11.97
10 lbs flour	$2.49 / 5 lbs	$4.98
5 lbs sugar	$3.59 / 5 lbs	$3.59
5 lbs chuck roast	$5.49 / 1 lb boneless chuck	$27.45
3 lbs round steak	$5.99 / 1 lb chuck steak (no round listed)	$17.97
3 lbs rice	$1.89 / 1 lb long grain rice	$5.67
2 lbs cheese	$5.49 / 1 lb cheddar cheese	$10.98
2 lbs bacon	$4.49 / 1 lb bacon	$8.98
1 lb butter	$3.49 / 1 lb butter	$3.49
1 lb coffee	$8.59 / 1 lb coffee	$8.59
2 loaves bread	$2.89 / 1 loaf	$5.78
4 quarts milk	$3.99 / gallon	$3.99
1 dozen eggs	$2.69 / dozen	$2.69
TOTAL		$116.13

[DeaconBenjamin]

Thank you. So, if you had a 1913 $5 gold piece, and sold it for scrap gold value today, you could buy nearly three times as much in groceries as you could in 1913. Very interesting.

Indian Half Eagle 1908-1929 $290.96

Gold Coin Value Guide