Recently, I have been helping my pop clean out the home of my late grand-father. Like all men in the Lohnes bloodline, keeping stuff was a priority for him. There have been some finds that stopped us in our tracks, some others that made us wonder why he kept the items, and others yet, like these local newspapers from 1925 that we’ve smiled over. The papers are where we found the collection of ads linked below. They are pretty damned cool. Ford, Chevrolet, Maxwell, Chrysler, Moon, Willys, and a host of local repair shops are highlighted and promoted in the ads. Seeing new Chevrolets sell for $500 bucks ($800+ for fully loaded models) and seeing companies like Moon which ceased to exist during the Great Depression certainly gives some perspective on how the automotive industry has changed over the years. There are other things that haven’t changed, like the ways car dealerships pitched potential customers on why they should buy their stuff, used car ads, and the general language surrounding both.

It would have been exciting to leaf through the paper in 1925 and think about buying a car. The nation was pretty early on in its obsession with the movement, combustion, freedom, and commerce that cars provided (along with trucks). We looked at these ads less for the price of stuff and more for how they were pitching their cars as best. Power, interior luxury, and standard equipment were still the three big hitters like today. Dig the ads for local garages and shops. Some could be clearer, but this paper is coming up on 90 years old soon and it has lived in a garage for most of that time period. Considering that, they are in fine shape.

The only bittersweet part for me is that he’s no longer around to talk this stuff over with. Some part of me wants to believe he knew that these would see the light of day again. Today is that day.