To the editor:

Reflecting at age 87 the astounding changes in prices over the years as a result of inflation. In the 1930's we kids used to ride our bikes from South Beacon Hill near Cleveland High School to Mrs Wickman's Pie Factory just north of the Jefferson Golf Course and buy a big apple pie for 20 cents. 2 of us would pay 10 cents apiece and each eat half the pie. We used to jog 3 miles to Seward Park in the summer to save bus fare to go swimming. We'd pay the 3 cents to return home on the bus tho. Postage for many years used to be 1 cent for post cards and 2 cents for regular mail. Sometime in the 1930's regular mail jumped from 2 cents to 3 cents and stayed there for a number of years. Eventually it upped to 4 cents and I remember it used to be 5 cents in the 1950's.

In the early 1930's the sales tax was introduced. Each dollar was taxed 1 third of a cent and paid for with aluminum tax tokens that had a hole in the middle. It was called a "temporary" tax and everyone knew that it would not be temporary - my how this "temporary" tax has grown!

In the 1930's, while visiting one of my older brothers in the Navy down in San Diego, I remember us buying a huge watermelon for 5 cents. Also, at that time you could buy a big salmon at the Pike Place Market for 5 cents. That was when there were lots of salmon and not so many people living in Seattle. In the 1950's, when our kids were small, we used to go to the drive ins and get hamburgers for 10 cents apiece.

In 1950 I bought a new Chevrolet 2 door sedan for $1800. In 1974, during a rather deep recession, I bought a new Ford compact station wagon for $3450.

In the 1930's gold was worth $35 an ounce but you weren't allowed to own any. Now gold is worth around $1200 an ounce and is reflecting the value of our increasingly deflating dollar.

When I came out of the army after WW2 in 1946 the GI Bill allowed me to go to the University of Washington for $35 a quarter. I cringe when I think of what students have to pay for tuition these days.

We bought our view lot here in West Seattle for $6500 back in 1960. We pay almost that each year now in Real Estate taxes. I feel like the county really owns our house.

I'll bet there are a few other old timers out here in West Seattle who have vivid memories of the prices of things way back when.

Emil M Martin
West Seattle