Need some help from you US guys. I’m building a gas station for my mid to late '70’s based layout and I don’t have a clue what price to put on the sign. Could somebody please clue me in as to what US gas prices were at that time ??? Thanks.
Mark.
What area? That plays a important part as well.I was living and working in Kentucky in the late 70s and gas was $.58.9 per gallon.Across the river in Ohio it was $.61.9
Here’s a table of gas prices, both “real” (i.e. inflation adjusted) and nominal (i.e. what you’d see on a sign): http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/aer/txt/ptb0524.html
Note that until 1990, you could get both leaded and unleaded (1976) and onwards).
Hope this helps.
Andre
Thanks for the help guys !!!
Specifically, I’d like the price of gas at the Mobil station in Lanesboro PA on August 08 1978. [;)]
Mark.
Fall of 1973 was the start of the oil embargo against the US (if my memory still works). Gas prices went from around 35 cents to over 75 cents a gallon (when you could get it) in a matter of a few weeks. Gas rationing and long lines at gas stations were the order of the day. Prices and distribution never really returned to normal after the embargo ended. Prior to the embargo, prices had been stable for years at around 28 cents to 35 cents depending on area of country.
my recollections
Fred W
Back in the 50’s gas price wars were common. About 25 cents/gallon and they did not have self serve. You got your tank filled, your windows cleaned, and your oil checked by the attendant.
Our dear folks in Washington over the decades have been replacing rail transportation with highway and airline transportation. Arguably, they could have favored railroads, the more fuel efficient and more environmentally friendly mode. Oh well…
I know you asked about 70’s but I just had to speak about this one.
Here in west-central Louisiana gas prices went up over a dollar about 1978-80 and on the old 3 digit pumps you paid twice what the pump read, so if it read $7.00 you paid $14.00, so at a $1.15 a gallon you were in effect paying $2.30 a gallon! Sound familiar?
The wonderful 1970’s. Gasoline prices were high around 1973 and again in 1979. In that time we saw the 65 mph speed limit dropped to 55mph on all interstates and highways. I believe the term they used was “energy crunch”.
In nothern Ohio they had a building moritorium on new homes. No new homes were able to have natural gas as a heat source. Your choice was all electric, oil, oil or electric heated hot water. We first heard of a new device called a heat pump.
Good God. Was it that long ago? I remember Ohio cops, hiding all along the freeway, and writing tickets for 2 or 3 miles over the 55mph limit. They used to carry those little Mastercard printers in their cars, for the out-of-state motorists. On the other hand, I was selling sailboats like hotcakes in those days.[8D]
On the way to Florida, I got stopped in a speed trap in Tennessee. There were a dozen cars pulled over on the shoulder of the road. A very friendly Tennessee “Smokey” gave us a printed “warning”, and explained that they didn’t believe in the 55mph limit, but were required to take some kind of action, to retain their federal highway funds. He explained that there would be no points, and no record kept of the warning. Prior to that, Tennessee had one of the higher speed limits in the country, 75mph.
Sorry to hijack the thread. Got carried away with the nostalgia thing.
The heat pump was around before the 70’s. My parents house was built in 63 and had a Chrysler central air and heat system. Sitting out back of the house was the Chrysler heat pump with it’s factory plate in full view showing the pertinent information about the system, including the year of manufacture, 1962. It lasted a long time, finally burning out in 1974.
Ahh…The heat pump. What a wonderful energy saving device.Doubled my winter heating bills while keeping my home crisp and cold and doubled my summer cooling bills while keeping it 95*F in the summer. I remeber the commercials. “Even cold air contains heat!” Wonder if Al Gore came up with that one? (sorry, I digress)
Pumps? Gas wars? Y’know, out in my shed I’ve still got one of those steak knives they used to give away with a fill-up, back when I could fill my (admittedly small) gas tank for under $3. I may have a salad bowl from that era, too. Oh, and don’t forget to put up a sign for S&H Green Stamps. My shed not only has one of those steak knives, but also a croquet set I got with the Green Stamps.
And who remembers the ultimate incentive to get you into the gas station - Pump Bunnies! Yes, bikini-clad young ladies on warm summer days, pumping gas for you. First gas line I ever saw, and that’s a fact.
I remember 28.9 cents/gallon in 1972 after I was married and filling up the Plymouth Gold Duster. The gasoline rates were very soon never to return to under 30 cents/gallon.
I remember the old pumps like that. Thanks for the flash-back!
Anybody remember those little red plastic red crown valve caps they used to give away at the Mobil stations?
I remember as a youngster at that time my grandfather sold Fina gasoline, for the price of $0.429 per gallon for “regular” (leaded), and the “new” unleaded. The Premium was $0.479. They didn’t sell many new cars in that area at that time, so they sold more regular than unleaded. Later, in the early '80’s, regular became cheaper than unleaded as more new cars using unleaded required that fuel, so it was desireable to buy older cars built from '76-back, so you could buy the cheaper fuel. Later in the 80’s, as regular was being phased out, it became about the same price as what we now call “mid-grade”, and in fact when regular was phased out, that’s what took its place.
I remember the old green S&H stamp signs, Macadam roads, and even the local cotton warehouse and feed mill (2 separate businesses) still shipping and receiving rail traffic. Today, the mill has been closed for quite some time, recently re-opened as a woodworking shop (furniture/cabinet factory?), filled with immigrant workers, the tracks long since buried/overgrown; the cotton warehouse has long since been a feed/hardware store. Oh, and DON’T forget the old “Coke” signs, or maybe Pepsi was more popular up in PA.
Brad
I liked your question. I have memories of those days like the other posts. Here is a link about California prices.
http://www.energy.ca.gov/gasoline/statistics/gasoline_cpi_adjusted.html
I found a receipt for gas in 1973. I purchased it on the Oregon coast. 19 and 9 tens cents per gallon. Surprised the heck out of me.
Great thread! Anyone wanting more of this kind of nostalgia should look for the book “Pump and Circumstance” by John Margolies. Check out Amazon, they usually have these type of books real cheap.
Todd.
I was interested in the same thing as I model '76-'77. I found the answer while watching some documentary program that pictured the gas lines during the Carter Admin. 55-60 cents for leaded seemed to be the norm.