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SCHOOL SUPPLIES – PRICE, 1966 – PRICE, 2004 (see note)

Pencils, pack of 12 – 1966: 18 cents – 2004: 68 cents

Ballpoint pens – 1966: 8 cents each when bought in a 10-pack – 2004: 6 cents each when bought in a 12-pack

Scissors – 1966: 23 cents (4-inch size, nickel-plated steel) – 2004: $4.99 (7-inch, stainless steel)

Elmer’s Glue – 1966: 23 cents (3- 3/4 oz.) – 2004: 10 cents (4 oz.)

Notebook – 1966: 23 cents (42 sheets, 8-1/2″ x 11″) – 2004: 66 cents (40 sheets, 8-1/2″ x 7″)

Lunch box – 1966: $1.33 (including “unbreakable vacuum bottle”) – 2004: $17.99 (with water bottle)

Compass – 1966: 17 cents – 2004: $6.99

Pencil sharpener – 1966: 7 cents – 2004: 68 cents

Crayola crayons, 8 – 1966: 7 cents – 2004: 69 cents

Colored pencils, 12 – 1966: 89 cents – 2004: $2.04

Felt-tip marker – 1966: 29 cents – 2004: 84 cents

3-ring binder – 1966: 59 cents – 2004: $1.98

Webster’s dictionary – 1966: 88 cents – 2004: $5.95

Pencil pouch – 1966: 23 cents – 2004: $1.11

Ruler – 1966: 7 cents – 2004: 29 cents

Note: The 1966 prices, not adjusted for inflation, are from a Walgreens Drug Stores advertising circular dated 1966, and “The Value of a Dollar: Prices and Income in the United States, 1960 to 1999” (GreyHouse Publishing). Today’s prices are from the following Web sites: Staples.com, Office Depot.com and Target.com.

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