Some of the Unbelievable Things from Old Sears Catalogs
July 11, 2024
Source: getty images
Published from 1888 to 1993 Sears has provided an example of a television and a catalog: earlier it was almost similar to the existing Amazon. It exploited the opportunity to have many outlets with goods that could be supplied to the consumers. This was rather convenient, especially for the rural people and people with a low income since the prices were relatively cheap. Beginning with snow boots and suspenders and ending with oil lamps, including kit houses and furniture, where almost everything from the early years of the twentieth century could be purchased from a Sears catalog. Next, I will present to you the most luxurious and, at the same time, the least popular section of the Sears catalog.
1. Vegetable Pills
At the beginning of the century, vegetable pills and other some other mysterious compounds were not the only weird cure that one could find advertised. It was even fashionable to hawk electricity as the panacea to all of man’s problems. Heidelberg Electric Belt promoted their product in their catalog Fall 1902 and one of the pages stated that the electric currents can be sent through men’s trouser area to cure a man with a weak or deranged nervous system and sexually double a man’s force and power.
2. Maternity Clothing & Supplies
The catalog offered a multitude of maternity items, as many women refused to go to a doctor until their delivery was near. The items in the catalog ranged from rubber sheets, breast binder, olive oil, and antiseptic soap but it was mentioned that this catalog is not a substitute for medical care.
3. Mail Order Houses
Sears sold mail-order houses until the early 1940s. These packages consisted of all the material and plans the consumers needed to construct a Sears home on their own. Some of these homes are still standing to this date. For instance, advertisements from Fall 1932 have several models that were going for about $1,700 which, in today’s money, is around $29,000.
4. Watchmaker’s tool sets
The Sears catalog from the year 1902 contained many pages of pocket watches, chains, and fobs and even watchmaker tools. They provided a general selection of starter kits for home and business usage and a large variety of tools and even the special ones.
5. Cars
Sears catalog was not only about the clothing and curios remedies. It was not long ago that one could buy a car from Sears Roebuck, through mail order, if that is what one preferred. This ad from the Fall of 1909 highlights the Sears Motor Buggy with top speeds of 25 mph and the car being simple to operate that even a child can do it. It cost $395, which, in today’s money, is about $10,400.
6. Farm implements and Chickens
Farm implements were also available from them; a 1940s catalog even had chicks for sale. It is hard to imagine how many of these chicks might have lived through their rather long train rides.
7. Hair pieces
Sears even had in its catalog wigs, extensions, toupees, and hair pieces such as braids. The services were evidently charged on products in red, grey and blonde hair color.
8. Portraits
There was the hand painted Sears portrait. The services offered were quite simple; customers would forward a picture that would be painted, and they would in return receive a painted portrait and their original photo. These paintings were ranging from $27. 95 to $67. 95. At that time, in 1961, this was quite a large sum of money, however, many families believed that it was money well spent.
9. VCR’s
With the introduction of VCRs, there was nothing else of the sort on the market. This new feature probably explained the $1,125 price for the Fall 1981 catalog for a device about the size of a briefcase. If one had to pay the same price today, in today’s dollars, the price would definitely be above $2,800.
10. Cellphones
Similar to the present day, cell phones were also bigger and expensive in the past. This “small, light weight” cell phone from the Fall 1991 catalog weighed almost 2 pounds with its battery. The weight distribution was not the best either; adding the battery placed the total weight at almost eight pounds. It was going for $900 and if this was to be priced in today’s dollars, it would be approximately $1,500.
