Would you have believed it? Chapter Two

[Bob Wright]

I'm from the era when the Colt Python was $125, as was the Single Action Army. Ruger Blakhawks were $87.50. And scrounged up Colt New Services were $24.95, M1917 Colt or S&W were from $19.95. One holster maker offered a buscadero belt and holster fro $14.95, and that included a .45 caliber revolver. (O.K. so it was paltry Webley .455)

I was browsing the GunBroker site and saw holsters there going for as much as $850.00! Many were less expensive, from $300 to $600! These collectors holsters, Sam Myres, Heisters, and old Lawrence.

Just sort of boggled my mind. Which seems to get boggled more and more often lately.


Bob Wright

 

[bogus bill]

Sounds like we are the same age. My folks were very conservative. Its been hard for me forever to adjust to
inflation. I recall my folks renting a old house on a couple acres for $20 a month . I doubt my folks ever had a CC or a payment in their life. They bought the only house they ever owned in 1951 for $2,500! It was on 2 1/2 acres on the edge of a small village in Wisconsin. Their theory seemed to be "If I dont already own whatever, I dont need it. When I see young couples buying $200,000 to $400,000 houses at 25 years old I feel like knocking on their doors and asking them their secret to success.
My folks and older sister went out to California in 1939/1940 picking fruit. Some rancher found out dad was a farm boy that knew machinery. The way mom told it the rancher gave dad two dollars a day but insisted mom work too for a dollar a day. Mom had to pay another ranch hands wife I think a $1.25 a day to baby sit my sister so she could work and dad keep his $2 job. I believe they were given a log cabin shack to live in as part of the deal. It was on the Rouge River west of Grants Pass Oregon. Dad told me those were the best days of his life!
Mom got pregnant with me there. The war was on the horizon and dad got a call from family that said his old job that he was laid off from had called him back to work but he had like three days left to show up or be by passed. He was a machinist for A.O. Smith in Milwaukee making airplane propellers etc.
I think mom said at the time they had something like $20 or less to make it home on. She said dad traded spotlights off their old 1927 or so Studebaker President for gas etc. I was born after they got back in early 1941.
Mom took over my grandpa`s country general store about a 120 miles from dads job so I only recall seeing him a time or two until the war ended. He was froze to his job and quit at the end of the war.
My and Bob`s age group recall when a hard job that paid a buck a hour was considered a "good job". I have read now since the virus pandemic some people are making more between unemployment and subsidy money than they did working. Someday sooner than later we all will have to pay the piper.

 

[Fox Mike]

Everything is much different today. I remember making E2 and got somewhere around $83.00
per month. A far cry from today. It is $1943.00

 

[DeletedMember275]

While I generally agree, one must take inflation into account. Our money is essentially worthless now, compared to what it was even when I was growing up in the early '60s. An item that cost $1.00 in 1973 (the year that I joined the Army) would cost $5.81 today!

 

[bogus bill]

I use this inflation calculator.
https://www.dollartimes.com/inflation/
When I worked for a buck a hour in 1957 it would be $9.37 today. But then again, there were no benny`s, I didn't get time and half for my overtime, no vacation pay, health insurance paid holidays etc. In 1962 I recall working for the Wisconsin state conservation dept and my starting pay was $320 a month. I think I soon was raised to $350 a month. It was a fun job though. That $350 would be $2,998.03 today. Based on a 40 work week that job would be like $17.29 a hour today.
Those $125 Pythons and Single Action Army`s Bob and I drooled over in 1957 would cost $1163.83 today.

 

[blume357]

When I was a little tike in the late 50's my father took me with him to town, he wanted a holster and belt for his S&W 38. They wanted $25 for a holster at the gun store and he could not afford that ... on the way home we stopped at the five and dime to get me a toy ..... there was a chrome plated cap pistol with leather holster and belt for $3... he bought it and added some leather to the belt and that fit his 38 perfectly.... in fact, I still have it.
Here's me with that cap pistol:

 

[bobski]

I found some ww2 pay stubs from my uncle. seems I recall 40.00 a month. and if you went airborne, combat, or hazduty...20 more.
I remember uncle saying it was good pay....since he got 3 hots and a cott for free. plus med/dental.

 

[Bob Wright]

I'm not into bicycles, but there is a bicycle shop near me that offers financing on a bicycle purchase!

(I started to use the term wheels but was afraid many wouldn't know what I was talking about.)



Bob Wright

 

[blackhawknj]

Yes, wheel was the term used in the bike boom of the 1890s.
The local bike shops have reported a nice uptick in business, the movie theaters, amusement parks, some malls closed, restaraunts take out only, people are rediscovering the bicycle, burning off those calories, and if you must have the latest, the fanciest....
FYI I paid $100 for the 1960 Phillips I mentioned in another thread, $80 for the Dunelt.

 

[Dave P.]

Sure, good bikes start around $1500 these days.
Better stuff $3000 plus
Dave

 

[Kevin]

A few years ago, my wife wanted to buy a bike. The sales guy was a bit pushy and had her test ride a $6,000 bike.

We didn’t buy it.

 

[blackhawknj]

Craigslist is your friend. Here in Mercer County, NJ we have Trenton Bike Exchange, run by the Boys Club of Trenton as a sort of rehab program. Last Christmas I took the request for a tricycle for a 3 year old boy from our church's Angel Tree down there. Found a nice shiny red all steel one-$15.

 

[powder smoke]

Peddle bikes are for peddlers I prefer the ones that has a tank you can fill with gas! ps

 

[Hawk-in-Wi]

talk to a guy that was riding one of these new battery powered one, they still have peddles but also have built in rechargeable batteries, said he could get over 20 miles on a charge, he said they where a blast

 

[bobski]

I remember the days if you owned a schwinn, you were considered a rich kid.
so I saved and saved and bought a Schwinn continental 10speed with tire friction light and tow clips.
I arrived. age, 13.
I still have my bill of sale. 112.00.

 

[blackhawknj]

Back then people's pay checks went farther because the tax bite was much less.

 

[Rick Courtright]

Back then people's pay checks went farther because the tax bite was much less.

Hi,

The tax bite has always been there. It's a cost of doing business, and admittedly often pretty hard to get around. Even so, I think what a lot more people suffer from today is the "interest bite" that affects almost everything they "own."

Rick C

 

[Big Old Boy]

My first bike came from a scrap pile in the woods my uncle gave me used wheels and a chain I worked to pay for Tires and tubes.

 

[Acorn]

Bicycles are a hot commodity. Neither of my local WMs have any adult bikes.
Growing up I never had a new bike. Always a hand-me-down. While I was in high school my Dads uncle passed and I was given his bike he had bought to exercise. It was a red “Marty Jones Special”. An “English Racer” was the Cadillac of bikes to me and my buddies. A friends Dad bought him a “Spyder Bike”. IIRC it was a 5 speed.
When I was a yute I remember asking my mother for a toy that cost $5. I couldn’t understand her saying we didn’t have the money. I remember saying it’s ONLY $5! My Dad was making less than $9000 a year then gross. That $5 could have bought a loaf of bread, a gallon of milk, a block of Veveeta, and a bag of apple with change left over. I don't know how my folks did it.

 

[blackhawknj]

In his book Family and Nation written in 1984 Daniel Patrick Moynihan wrote that in 1953 for a family with the national average income of $8500 (?), the first 3/4 was exempt from taxation, by 1983 only the first third.
I often wonder what's the difference between a hand me down and an heirloom.

 

[Selena]

One of our White County neighbors has some grain tickets showing he was paid $1.03 a bushel for corn in 1963. I was impressed with his hardship until Dad mentioned adjusted for inflation $1.03 in 63 would be the same as $8.75 today.

 

[Ale-8(1)]

I often wonder what's the difference between a hand me down and an heirloom.

The price it will bring at a yard sale. :wink:

 

[blackhawknj]

The difference between a hand me down and a heirloom ?
When you receive a hand me down you say "Aw, gee !"
When you receive an heirloom you say "OH WOW!"
In a lot of families that $5 spent on a toy would have meant $5 less for cigarettes, beer, whiskey.