Read This And Weep, Time Travelers!

[Paul C]

The seven scans following are onionskin airmail paper carbon copies

if you are already mystified you are not old enough to remember The Good Old Days 

from a 1949 sales list sent to my late guru George Seymour by future-1950s American hand-drawn German awards reference checklist pioneer James Sawicki while he was still in occupied Germany with the Counter Intelligence Corps.

Yeah.

Just thought you might be interested in seeing what things went for Way Back When. Figure roughly $10 = a full day’s VERY good pay indeed.

Due to shrinkage of preview size scans, you might do better to copy these and print the pages out on your own printers. My thanks to Paul for posting these. Rick Research.

[Paul C]

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[Tom Y]

I weep in frustration. Of course, at the tender age of five I had other interests, usually dealing with mud and small crawling things.

[Schießplatzmeister]

I wasn't even born yet!

I remember George telling me about when he started collecting after the War (WWII) and that he paid only about $50 for Grand Cross sets at that time.

It must have been nice not to have to worry about copies, etc. Back then, no one really cared about this stuff. I remember also hearing about George's lament when the OEK was published. After that, even young fools like me could identify and somewhat determine a "value" for Imperial Orders and medals.

I really miss George (I hope to someday know even half of what he forgot regarding Imperial German Orders and medals!) and am glad that I got to see his collection in person before it went back to Germany for worldwide re-distribution to other collections.

Best regards,

"SPM"

[tyanacek]

The seven scans following are onionskin airmail paper carbon copies

if you are already mystified you are not old enough to remember The Good Old Days 

from a 1949 sales list sent to my late guru George Seymour by future-1950s American hand-drawn German awards reference checklist pioneer James Sawicki while he was still in occupied Germany with the Counter Intelligence Corps.

Yeah.

Just thought you might be interested in seeing what things went for Way Back When. Figure roughly $10 = a full day's VERY good pay indeed.

Due to shrinkage of preview size scans, you might do better to copy these and print the pages out on your own printers. My thanks to Paul for posting these. Rick Research.

The "good old days" for sure! Ricky come back... we need you!:cheers:

[Hauptmann]

I second, third, fourth and fifth that motion... WE WANT/NEED YOU BACK RICK!!!! But even these posts by proxy help... miss you something awful! Just not the same without you!

Re: the subject at hand... wasn't even born yet (not till Aug. 13th 1962) but even catalogs from the 60's bring the same feelings to me as this does to you. Unbelievable what things went for, even considering what money was worth back then (the good old days when silver was still part of our coinage and currency and was WORTH SOMETHING... as opposed to nowadays when even cents are only copper plated and none of it is really worth a hoot.

Dan

[VtwinVince]

Agreed, I wasn't born until September 1962, but I can remember Knight's Crosses being had for 100.00.

[QSAMIKE]

I have a couple of catalogues of British Medals etc. dated 1932, 1934 and 1935, there was a Victoria Cross listed for 200 Pounds....... But you have to remember both at that time and in 1949 what the average salary was so it could have been a large sum to the ordinary working man......

Mike

[Mike Dwyer]

I've said this on the forum elsewhere in the past, but I remember walking into an antique store in Berlin in 1965 as a teenager and the guy had 10-15 beautiful pickelhauben on the shelf and he only wanted $45.00, and all I had was $15.00!!!!! :banger:

[Wild Card]

:speechless1:

Geeeeeeeez Rick!

You really know how to ruin a guy's day.

If coming back means more of this sort of thing -

STAY AWAY!

Just kidding. I also look forward to your return.

Best wishes,

Wild Card

[Chip]

I was just celebrating my first birthday at that time, but heck, everything was good even into the early 1980s. Since then, not so much.

Chip

[Noor]

Oh, thats mad. This prices looks not real.... and I born in 80s, so really nothing for me! Start collecting when the prices was up already, internet and copies....

[saschaw]

I take one of each!

I wasn't born even in early 80s but know that this was much money back in 40s/50s, and not to many had it to spend for "old coins and crosses".

Did anyone notice the standard stuff we can buy every week did develop quite different than the extremely scarce stuff? I'd rather buy a Bavarian bravery medal for US $3.- than a Baden Felddienstauszeichnung with one clasp for US $2.50!

Rare stuff gets more and more expensive while the common things actually cannot. They are yet expensive.