Sears 1953 Stereo Prices

[ex836@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (James R. Motley)]

Recently there have been several interesting postings of Stereo 
Camera prices, especially prices of used equipment in 1970 and 
1976.  Here's another from an earlier period.

A couple of years ago when I first acquired some stereo equipment, 
I was talking with the owner of a local camera store.  During the 
conversation he pulled out a 1953 Sears photography catalog which 
someone had just given him.  That catalog was about 1/4 inch thick 
as were many of Sears specialty catalogs.  There were two pages of 
Stereo Cameras and equipment in this catalog which had at least 
61 pages of photographic equipment (there was a reference to page 
61 on one of the stereo pages).  He had no interest in selling 
the catalog, but he did make photocopies of the two stereo pages 
for me.  Actually, he did (jokingly??) offer to trade the 
catalog for my stereo camera, but that didn't sound like a good 
horse trade to me.  Anyway, here's information from those pages.

Prices of Stereo Equipment from page 24 ofSears 1953 Photography 
Catalog:

Top of page shows "Look INTO Stereo Pictures .. not AT them".

New REVERE 33 Stereo  
  Camera only.................................. $174.50
  (Referred to flash on  page 17)
  Eveready Case...............................    12.50
  Revere Stereo Viewer........................    18.50

Famous STEREO REALIST
 Camera only.................................... $159.00
 Eveready Case.................................    11.25
 Flash Unit with batteries....................      8.75   
 Stereo Realist 3-Dimensional Viewer...........    19.75
 (With batteries, bulb)
"Notice: Transparencies are mounted by manufacturer for about
 6 cents each.  See new  20-exposure 35mm Stereo Kodachrome roll
 film on page 61."
                     
Popular Low-Priced ILOCA Stereo II
 Camera only...................................   $125.00 
 Eveready Case (price cut off copy)

New VIDEON at our lowest Stereo Camera price.
  Camera only (shows VIDEON II)..................  $97.00
  (Looks like Bakelite body)
  Leather Case (price cut off)........................?
  B-C Flashholder with 2-way flash ...................?
  Bright Star 22 + volt "B" battery...................?
          
All of the cameras and the other items except the Videon Leather 
Case were "postpaid".  
                                   
Other items on this page included:
 
TDC Stereo Projector...............................$175.00
 Two 500-watt lamps, 5-in. coated f:3.5 lenses,etc
 (The 500-watt lamps and the picture with the slide carrier 
means that this was model #116).
Case............................................... $20.00

Polaroid Stereo Glasses.....Each.................... $2.00

Colormaster Stereo Projection Screens.
  40x40 in..........................................$29.95
  50x50 in..........................................$39.95

Sterling Stereo Viewer...............................$8.00

Stereo-Realist Permamounts.............10 per box..  $3.00


Page 25 was devoted entirely to View-Master items.

VIEW-MASTER STEREO CAMERA
   Camera only.......................................$149.00
   Flash Unit, batteries............................ .$19.75
   Leather Eveready Case..............................$12.50
   Two Type A Filters Indoor film Outdoors............ $4.50
   Film editor-cutter.................................$19.50
   Blank Reel Mounts.............................6 for $1.00

Rest of the page showed viewers ($2.00), Light attachment ($2.00),
non-stereo projectors (Junior-$10.95, Senior-$47.50), Library
Box ($1.85), Transformer for light attachment ($3.00), and a list
of about 150 reel titles.  Bible Story Reels were 4 for $2.00 
and the other reels were 6 for $2.00.  The first reel listed in 
the 6 for $2.00 group was especially noteworthy-
----"New Reel ..400..Eisenhower's Inauguration".

Everything on this page even including the Batteries for the light 
attachment (2 for 23 cents) was postpaid (or express prepaid for 
the Senior Projector).  Can you imagine shipping two batteries
(Shipping wt. 8 oz.) for 23 cents??  But then, considering wages 
in 1953, these cameras represented two to four weeks of income
for most people at that time.  These new prices in 1953 certainly 
make the used prices in the 1970's look good.

Maybe people saved their money for such large purchases like in 
yesterday's BORN LOSER comic strip.  Thornapple was sitting at an
old roll tape adding machine with lots of tape in the waste 
basket and on the floor when he told his wife:
"GLADYS, THAT DOES IT! WE'VE FINALLY SAVED ENOUGH MONEY
 TO BUY WHAT WE STARTED SAVING FOR BACK IN 1979"
She: "YOU MEAN A BRAND NEW CADILLAC?".  
He: "NO....A  79 CADILLAC".

Don't despair, we can always dream of the pot of gold (or better 
yet- a Macro Realist) at the end of the rainbow.

Jim Motley........ex836@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


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End of PHOTO-3D Digest 10
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