Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2010/03/21
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Vince, I pulled the car price from memory, and I find it is low. The average car price in 1955 was $1900. So, in reality, the M 3 cost about one-fourth of the price of a car. Sorry for the faulty memory. Jim Nichols Tullahoma, TN USA ----- Original Message ----- From: "Vince Passaro" <passaro.vince at gmail.com> To: "Leica Users Group" <lug at leica-users.org> Sent: Sunday, March 21, 2010 6:44 PM Subject: Re: [Leica] Question 2 this evening: historical prices > Fascinating, thanks. The table is quite legible. > > So, the half-car price analogy is valuable. But dig this one. I just found > an article from a 1955 Dartmouth campus newspaper announcing that tuition > (plus fees) would rise in 1956 at Dartmouth as it had at Princeton and > Yale > from $800 to $980. > > So back then an M3 was half the price of a new car. An M3 with summicron > lens was about half a year's tuition inthe Ivy League. And now a Leica M9 > and Summicron lens would be between 10000 and 12,000; a new car decently > appointed family car about $24,000 on average; and Ivy League tuition is > now > $50,000. > > Ivy League tuition doubled in equivalent dollars over the next 20 years; > so > that in 1975 when I started at Columbia it was $3400 but if it had stayed > only at inflation it should have been about half that. Adjusted for > inflation 1955's M3/summicron would by 75 have been about $950. I wonder > what an M5 with Summicron was by then? > > My mother bought a new Ford Fairlane around 1970 for $2400 so I'm betting > it > was $3000 at least. > > More on this as I work out what it is I'm thinking about.... > > Thanks to all for comments. > > > > On Sun, Mar 21, 2010 at 1:52 PM, Jim Nichols > <jhnichols at lighttube.net>wrote: > >> Vince, >> >> I have the November 1955 Leica Product Directory. >> >> Catalog Code >> Number Word Item Retail Price >> ****** ****** ******************************** ******** >> 10,150 IGEMO Leica M 3 without lens $288.00 >> 10,155 IMARO Leica M 3 with 50mm Elmar f/3.5 lens 348.00 >> 10,161 ISUMO Leica M 3 with 50mm Summicron f/2 lens >> 447.00 >> 10,165 ISAIO Leica M 3 with 50mm Summarit f/1.5 lens 468.00 >> >> Ask about any other items from this catalog that you might like for your >> collection, and I will be happy to look them up for you. >> >> Jim Nichols >> Tullahoma, TN USA >> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Vince Passaro" < >> passaro.vince at gmail.com> >> To: "Leica Users Group" <lug at leica-users.org> >> Sent: Sunday, March 21, 2010 12:31 PM >> Subject: Re: [Leica] Question 2 this evening: historical prices >> >> >> >> Doug many thanks this has been helpful. I assume you're working off your >>> own >>> memory/records of your purchases? What does IIRC mean? And NOS? >>> >>> >>> On Sun, Mar 21, 2010 at 9:33 AM, Doug Herr <wildlightphoto at >>> earthlink.net >>> >wrote: >>> >>> Vince Passaro wrote: >>>> >>>> >I'm looking for actual at-the-time they were marketed dollar prices >>>> >for >>>> >certain historical cameras, for a couple of academic reasons. Does >>>> >anyone >>>> >have a source/sources? For instance I would love to know M3 prices >>>> >through >>>> >the 1950s; Nikon F prices 1959 to, say, 1980; Leica prices in the >>>> >1970s. >>>> > >>>> >Any suggestions will be much appreciated. >>>> >>>> IIRC a Nikon F in 1972 or so was US$310. NOS Leicaflex SL in 1979 was >>>> US$510. >>>> >>>> Doug Herr >>>> Birdman of Sacramento >>>> http://www.wildlightphoto.com >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> _______________________________________________ >>>> Leica Users Group. >>>> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information >>>> >>>> >>> _______________________________________________ >>> Leica Users Group. >>> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information >>> >>> >>> >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Leica Users Group. >> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information >> > > _______________________________________________ > Leica Users Group. > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information > >