The problem of translating value then to value now is a big one.  The Paul
Revere house in Boston MA has a wonderful plack describing the difficulty.
I cannot quote it here, but I can give an example from my own experience.  A
solid pine table now would probably cost a couple hundred dollars.  A copper
sauce pan would be between 20 and 30 (depending on location of course).
After hours of pouring over inventories from probate court ca. 1790 Boston,
I found a solid pine table then cost about $4, while a copper pot or sauce
pan cost around $15.  You could say a dollar is worth 1/2 what it was then,
or 1/60 depending on what you were buying.  Another way of doing it would be
to calculate labor costs for certain professionals.  However, how much does
a farrier earn these days?  Many professions either no longer exist or are
nearly unrecognizable as the same.  Heck, my father's career no longer
exists.  Skills he spent many years developing are now done completely on
computer.  I think one of the best things to do would be as Paul Revere
house does and explain that it is a practically impossible task, or else
state how long a worker in that field would have had to work in order to buy
whatever it is you are describing (as done at the Winchester Mystery House
in San Jose CA).
Vincent Lyon

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