HISTORY: One of our favorite parts of looking through the Era’s archives is reading the old advertisements for things you wouldn’t see today.
Back in 1934, The Rexall Drug Store Thompson & Wood Co. at 21-23 Main St. offered a little bit of everything. Cigarettes were $1.20 a carton for Chesterfields, Old Golds, Luckies and Camels. And for 25 cents, you could get two packs.
Of course, the store had lots more great deals, like Halibut Liver Oil for 79 cents for 50 capsules. Special cold tablets were 23 cents, while 100 count of Bayer Aspirin was 59 cents.
At Joseph M. Segall, located at 15 Kennedy Street, one could get “unbelievable savings” on fur coats, like a silver muskrat for $95, a raccoon coat for $139, a genuine leopard with beaver trim and a matching muff for $159, and for $295, one could own a U.S. Government Alaska Seal, extra fine quality fur.
Cigarette advertising was quite common. An ad for Chesterfield Cigarettes showed a group of horses and jockies in a close race. “Fair enough — From time to time we tell you facts about Chesterfield Cigarettes.
“We say that Chesterfields are different from other cigarettes — that the tobaccos are different, the paper is different, and the way they are made is different. Everything that modern science knows about or that money can buy is used in making Chesterfield a milder, better tasting cigarette — a cigarette that satisfies. You can prove what we tell you about Chesterfield. May we ask you to try them — that would seem to be fair enough.”
To be clear, that was the ad, not us at RTS. We wanted to share how much advertising has changed in 85 years.
Lucky Strikes advertised “the clean center leaves — these are the mildest leaves. They cost more. It’s the taste that counts — that’s why Luckies use only clean center leaves.”
At the bottom of the ad is noted, “It’s toasted. Your throat protection — against irritation — against cough.”
