10 Bizarre Things the Sears Catalog Sold
In 1888, Sears, Roebuck and Co. distributed its first mail-order catalog to U.S. households, a thin booklet that sold only watches and jewelry. But by the early 1900s, the Chicago-based business had greatly expanded its inventory, offering a world of goods that some rural Americans had never even laid eyes on.
The Sears catalog became a go-to for one-stop shopping: Everything from clothing and furniture to tools and toys and even full house-building kits could be ordered and delivered right to doorsteps across the country. But tucked between these practical items were some truly strange and surprising products. Here’s a look at some of the oddest things the Sears catalog had on offer.
Electric Belts
In the early 20th century, electric belts were marketed as medical marvels, promising to cure everything from fatigue and hernias to glaucoma and indigestion. The fall 1902 Sears catalog featured the Heidelberg Electric Belt, a deluxe model that boldly claimed to be the “cure of […] all diseases, disorders and weaknesses peculiar to men, no matter from what cause or how long standing” — quite the claim for just $18 (about $680 today).
Customers strapped metal plates connected to small batteries around their waists or limbs, hoping for a restorative jolt. Medical evidence on the belt’s effectiveness was nonexistent, but the device certainly captured the era’s fascination with so-called cure-alls.
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Tombstones
Sears didn’t just sell the necessities of life — it also offered items for the afterlife. In 1906, the company published a special catalog offering a variety of gravestones in marble and granite; pricing varied by material, size, and messages engraved in the stone.
All headstones were customizable, but Sears also offered a convenient list of pre-chosen epitaphs and their accompanying prices. “Gone, but not forgotten,” for instance, cost $1.14 (about $40) today. Sears prided itself on customer testimonials, boasting that for a fraction of the cost of a funeral home’s services it delivered “the finest stone in the cemetery.”
Bees
Sears was no stranger to selling and shipping live animals. Common pets such as dogs, birds, and fish appeared frequently in its pages from the mid-1950s to the mid-’60s, as did animals such as baby chicks and chickens for farm life. More surprising, however, were the shipments of bees.
Through Sears’ “Farm and Ranch” catalog editions, customers could order specialty “Italian” or “Midnite” bees by the package, with a shipment containing upwards of 6,000 bees including a queen. For those unsure what to do once their buzzing box arrived, Sears also sold beekeeping guides and protective veils.
Heroin
Heroin was sold legally in the U.S. in the early 1900s, primarily as a treatment for the morphine addiction that proliferated following the Civil War. For just $1.50 (around $60 today), customers could have two vials of heroin, a syringe, two needles, and a handy carrying case delivered to their door.
The catalog also offered an array of other curious remedies from the time: nerve pills, “worm syrup” for children, pills for pale complexions, and other treatments now considered dangerous or pseudoscientific.
Wolf Teeth Extractors
Sears catalogs catered to the practical needs of rural life, including the sometimes gritty job of taking care of animals. Wolf teeth extractors, designed to remove the small, sharp “wolf teeth” in horses, were part of a broader selection of veterinary tools. Alongside them, customers could easily order castrating knives, worm powders, poultry markers, and other specialized equipment that would make most modern retail consumers wince.
Otter Traps
Fur trapping remained a legitimate profession in early America, and Sears catalogs supplied the necessary wares. Otter traps were typically made of steel and were spring-loaded — just the thing that rural customers needed for trapping fur, food, or even just for pest control.
In the early 1920s, Sears went a step further and began buying furs from its customers to sell in its own “Sears Tips to Trappers” catalog and at its fur show. The company ran the fur business until the late 1950s, when its focus shifted from the rural market to its burgeoning urban customer base.
Asbestos Cookware
Before we knew its health hazards, asbestos was hailed as a miracle material thanks to its durability and fire resistance. Sears offered not only asbestos-based siding, roof coatings, and tiles to homeowners, but also — alarmingly — cooking tools. Asbestos-lined and coated omelet pans, stove linings, stove mats, and toasters were all featured in a 1902 catalog. It wasn’t until the 1980s that asbestos’ possible health hazards were fully understood and the material was no longer used in American homes.
Six-Month Bookkeeping Course
The Sears catalog wasn’t just about goods — it also offered educational opportunities that its rural customers may not have otherwise had access to. In the fall 1907 catalog, a six-month bookkeeping course was offered for the low price of just $5. The course included about 20 different ledgers, journals, and balance sheet books totaling 7 pounds of materials, as well as free penmanship instruction — at about $173 today, that’s still a bargain.
100-Pound Bags of Crushed Oyster Shells
Without context, a 100-pound bag of crushed oyster shells seems like one of the most bizarre items a catalog could offer. So what was it for? Poultry feed. Chickens — more specifically, laying hens — require a lot of calcium to ensure they lay strong, healthy eggs. Crushed oyster shells served as an important dietary supplement for the farm animals, as a natural source of slow-release calcium that, today, commercial pet food companies incorporate right into their products.
Vapor Bath Cabinets
Inspired by Turkish hammam traditions, Sears brought some soothing heat to the home with its vapor bath cabinets. These wooden or metal enclosures allowed users to sit inside while steam circulated around the body; only the head was left exposed. Sears claimed that its vapor baths could “free the skin and tissues of the poisons that clog and injure the system,” a sentiment shared by the era’s belief in steam as a therapeutic tool. At a time when Victorian bathhouses and steam treatments were still quite popular, these cabinets offered a way to recreate the experience at home — no overseas spa-town visit required.
