Here is a chart that covers the time period in question. The 1880s was right in the middle of a long period of slow deflation, so a bottle of coke was actually

Here is a chart that covers the time period in question. The 1880s was right in the middle of a long period of slow deflation, so a bottle of coke was actually getting slightly more expensive for a period of nearly 30 years: http://www.economics-charts.com/images/cpi-1800-2005.png http://www.economics-charts.com/images/cpi-1800-2005.png