1955 Sears Camera Catalog scan posted

Blake Werts

Blake Werts

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Hello All,

In another thread there was a memory/mention of those older Sears Camera Catalogs and I offered to scan the one that I have from 1955 for all to see/use/enjoy. Its received lots of interest so we fould a place to host the files for a while... hoping that others could gain from the scanning time that I spent... ;-)

We've got them up for all to see--in four parts:

http://www.codehappy.com/transfers/S...g1955part1.pdf
http://www.codehappy.com/transfers/S...g1955part2.pdf
http://www.codehappy.com/transfers/S...g1955part3.pdf
http://www.codehappy.com/transfers/S...g1955part4.pdf

I hope that you do enjoy these. (And if there is more interest, I have a few other catalogs of the same sort from Montgomery wards from the late 40s to the mid 60s that I could scan as well.)

Enjoy!
Blake
 
Really nostalgic, Blake. This was when I was in high school. Dad would get these catalogs and I would spend hours pouring over them deciding what I would get (never got much though). Sears and Wards really went into this. Our local Sears and Wards stores both had big photography departments, with all this stuff including a lot of darkroom supplies.
The only place better was Detroit Camera Shop which was quite a ways away. That was a whole day event to go there.
I would like to see more.
 
I just got another Ansco Memar just like the one I bought in 1955! Those prices look so cheap until you figure what the average weekly pay check was like back then if you were working your first job!
 
Al Kaplan said:
I just got another Ansco Memar just like the one I bought in 1955! Those prices look so cheap until you figure what the average weekly pay check was like back then if you were working your first job!
Click to expand...

Adjusted for inflation, are M cameras cheaper or more expensive brand new today then they were back then?
 
Merkin said:
Adjusted for inflation, are M cameras cheaper or more expensive brand new today then they were back then?
Click to expand...

a 178 dollar Tower type 3 with ER case and f2 Nikkor lens in 1955 is equal to 1,436.62 dollars in 2009.

a good paying job in 1955 paid around 50 to 65 dollars a week.
 
Even the most basic, viewfinder-only 1/200 speed Tower 35mm cost the equivalent of $257 today. Add the rangefinder and 1/300 speed and the price almost doubles to $447. There's a good reason Grandpa didn't shoot a Leica!
 
On a lot of those cameras the prices are the same. I'm surprised at how much the Kodaks cost -- more expensive that I realized.

Thanks!
 
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