王小姐在年终大促销中买了两口相同的行李箱。打折后这两个行李箱共花费 $174。求其中一个行李箱在打折前的价格。 答：$___

1. Find the discounted price of a single suitcase

Since the two identical suitcases cost $174 after the discount:
$\text{Discounted price of 1 suitcase} = \frac{\$174}{2} = \$87$

2. Relate the discounted price to the percentage of the original price

The year-end sale offers a 40% discount, meaning the customer pays $100\% - 40\% = 60\%$ of the original price.
$60\% \text{ of original price} = \$87$

3. Calculate the original price (before discount) of one suitcase

To find the original price (100%):
$1\% \text{ of original price} = \frac{\$87}{60} = \$1.45$
$\text{Original price} (100\%) = \$1.45 \times 100 = \$145$