A Forties Penny's Worth: What Could You Buy for One Cent in the 1940's

I don't mean to rub it in, but can you think of how many things you can purchase with a penny today? If you dropped it on the ground and couldn't find it, chances are it wouldn't bother you. You would probably think to yourself, it's only a penny, why should I waste my time looking for it.

I remember in the late 40's that a penny went a long ways. When I think about it, people of today are really being short changed.

Sixty years ago owning a shiny penny would bring happiness to a youngster and make him feel rich. A penny could buy bubble gum, licorice candy, jaw breakers, peppermint sticks, grab bags, a small bag of pop corn or salty peanuts, a candy bar or a lollipop, frozen cubes of orange flavored ice called Dainties or a cup filled to the rim with lemon flavored shaved ice. peanut butter taffy and many other marvelous tasting morsels.

Children could try their luck on a cent punch board, 100 chances on a board for a penny apiece. The holder of the winning number sometimes received a beautiful doll or a pair of roller skates. A row of penny vending machines lined up against a wall paid off in tin trinkets or a variety of candies.

The arcade buildings at carnivals or country fairs featured all kinds of penny activities. At movie viewing machines, one could see Charlie Chaplin or Krazy Kat flicks for a penny. For two pennies, one could ride the Merry-Go-Round. Pitching pennies onto dishes or into glasses was a game for everyone. If a penny stayed on a plate or fell into a glass, the winner got to take the item home. People could also throw darts at balloons in an effort to burst them, maybe winning a baseball or bat as a prize. Five pennies gained admission into Saturday matinee at the local movie house. The bargain was a program with two feature movies. Plus several cartoons and a newsreel.

When my parents talked about the Depression years, they would talk about the types of games they played during that time. Adults' lives were involved with pennies. They played games such as penny-ante poker, or pitched pennies against the side of a building. The one closest to the building, took all the coins.