Locomotive building 1911 by Flanders, Ralph E. (Ralph Edward), 1880-1970 https://archive.org/details/locomotivebuildi00flanrich/page/n3/mode/2up?q=valve+gears+and+cylinders
What do you mean "only"? A person had to work a while to earn a quarter, and it had nearly the spending power of that bit of toilet paper we call a twenty dollar bill. If only wages had inflated at the same rate as prices...
Most likely the "person" who purchased a copies of these was a bit higher up the wage scale, or it was acquired by the shop/industry. Prices are inflated by more than materials and labor. These days all the taxes, regulatory costs and legal wranglings make it even worse.
Yes. But the "dollar" is also now backed by nothing, and worth 95% less. Demand for it may remain high, but the bankers keep printing up the supply. And supply and demand still determines the value of it, like everything else.
