If We Could Only Return To 1963!

[RonR]

Take a look at this Advertisement from September 1963, and think if you had $500, (which was the cost of a new car then) what it would be worth today!

Three shots of the ad to follow:

[RonR]

Second shot:

[RonR]

The full page ad in the September 1963 magazine titled "The Gun Report."

[Jeff V]

I'll take 50 cased for $100.00. best wishes,
jeff

[tgn]

I was twelve years old when this ad came out, and I couldn't wait for my dad's Gun Report to arrive each month. I purchased a Lane "Double Cross", and still have them. Wish I still had my dad...

Thanks for the memories....Tom

[Bob Hritz]

By the mid to late 1960s, I was purchasing 1000 piece lots, from Ken Lane, for $600. I temember you couldn't get a dollar anywhere for Krim shields, Kuban shields, driver's badges, war merit crosses and war merit medals. It was the Iron Crosses and assault badges that would bring a few dollars each and that the cased 1st Class iron Crosses were much harder to sell for $4 than a 2nd Class Iron Cross, in envelope, for $2.50.

What fun that was and how I worked for a full year to save $600 to mail to Ken Lane. With the proceeds, I kept ordering more and Ken would send better assortments with each order.

Ken was an American soldier who stayed in Austria, after WWII. He died there and was a really funny and nice guy.

He had the template cards for SS cuff titles and had his own band material made (6 strtand). When he didn't have the original template cards, he made them and they were all wrong. Hen was also responsible for many of the early post-war fakes like PO with brilliants, Water Customs daggers and a plethora of Souval badges, both wartime and post-war.

Itr was Ken Land who introduced me to Herr und Frau Umlauff, of Souval. I have a wonderful relationship with the Umlauffs but never got to meet them, in person. They answered many questions for me and sold me hundreds and hundreds of original medals and badges.

it was still a lot of money, then, and you still had to know what you were buying.


Bob Hritz

[Steve Campbell]

So were the medals real or reproduction?

[Scott C.]

A bit off topic, but since it was mentioned: what new cars sold for $500 in 1963?

Scott

[Bob Hritz]

Steve,

The medals were all authentic, in the posted Ken Lane ad. Many of the cased 1st Class Iron Crosses were still un the cardboard over-carton. Ken's individual prices were about retail, in 1963. The good deal was to buy in very large quantity.

Bob Hritz

[Steve Campbell]

For starters I don't think you could get a new car for $500 back then. As for those prices, wow! Are there many collectors out there now who still have a large collection built up from this deal? Amazing!

[RonR]

You are right about the new car price.

Volkswagen was one of the least expensive new cars back then and they had a great ad.

The car weighed about 1800 to 1900 pounds and their ad said something like "A dollar a pound, really expensive for hamburger, but really cheap for a car."

I bought one and paid $1850.

Best regards,

[jwburchell]

If I remember correctly, in 1968 I purchased a very basic VW "Beatle" brand new for Cdn$1,600 and another whopping $300 on top of that for a Blaupunkt radio in it. No gasoline gauge, just a handle under the driver's seat to switch-over to the reserve tank which still kept you going for many miles!

As a teenager, I was picking-up veteran's German bring-backs for 25 and 50 cents apiece...$1.00 tops!. I distinctly remember saving for months to buy a beautiful cased set of Carl Zeiss 7x50 KM-marked binoculars for the huge sum of $25. Man, those were the days!

[Dave Kane]

Ron, great stuff!! I saw your post in the Helmet section as well

In reference to the 'old' guys and (their) intimate knowledge which is continually discounted today, the 'new' guys should HEED what is being put forth as a gift and refrain from the new test of 'Prove it isn't period'...................we can't! Who ever thought that at a $1.50 or even $100. for an item a guy would be asked 20, 30 or even 40 years later for pictures as PROOF.

The items were so common then and now spread among so many others that today today they are rife for the reproductions.

The 'old guys' can't prove that a particular item wasn't seen back when as the technology didn't allow it but they should be listened to

[DonC]

As always, born twenty years too late...

Don

[edwardo]

As always, born twenty years too late...

Don

And you will have twenty years more to appreciate your collection while the grass grows on the graves. Enjoy the time you have. Money means nothing in the end.