Historical prices in context

[giordano]

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I came away from the Brighton camera fair today with the Wallace Heaton Blue Book for 1963/64. Here are selected prices, in the original pounds, shillings and pence and adjusted upwards by (in one column) the change in the retail price index since then and (in the other column) the change in average earnings. In terms of how affordable the items would have been back then, the relevant cost is somewhere between the two.

                                     Actual      At 2013   At 2013
                                    1963/64      prices   earnings
LEICA
Leica M3 body only                  £121.19.6    £2,057    £4,226
Leica M3 with Summicron 50          £182.19.3    £3,086    £6,340
Leica M2 body                       £103.13.2    £1,748    £3,592
Leicameter MC (silicon cell)         £13.14.2      £231      £475
Super Angulon 21/4                   £99.12.1    £1,680    £3,451
Summicron 35 (M2)                    £66.12.11   £1,124    £2,309
Summicron 35 (M3 - goggles)          £79.11.11   £1,342    £2,758
Summilux 35 (M2)                     £98.5.10    £1,658    £3,406
Summilux 35 (M3 - goggles)          £110.10.10   £1,864    £3,830
Summicron 50 DR                      £77.4.8     £1,303    £2,676
Summilux 50                          £87.18.2    £1,483    £3,046
Summicron 90                        £101.12.11   £1,714    £3,522

OTHERS
Contarex (Bullseye) 
   with Planar 50/1.4              £280.12.0    £4,732    £9,723
Distagon 35/2                       £134.6.0     £2,265    £4,653
Sonnar 85/2                          £90.18.9    £1,534    £3,151

Nikon F Photomic (CdS, not TTL) 
  with Nikkor 50/1.4               £175.16.1    £2,965    £6,092
Nikkor 35/2.8                        £57.7.5       £968    £1,988

Pentax SV with 55/1.8 Auto Takumar   £99.19.9    £1,686    £3,465
Coupled CdS meter                    £13.15.6      £232      £477
Auto Takumar 35/3.5                  £32.1.8       £541    £1,112
Auto Takumar 105/3.5                 £49.19.6      £843    £1,732

Hasselblad 500c with 80/2.8 Planar  £273.1.3     £4,605    £9,462
Distagon 50/4                       £209.5.0     £3,529    £7,251
Sonnar 150/4                        £199.19.0    £3,372    £6,928

METERS
Weston Master V                      £10.15.0      £181      £372
Gossen Lunasix                       £27.10.0      £464      £953

FLASHGUNS
Cheapest electronic (Stitz 30)       £11.6.8      £191       £393
Strong versatile (Mecablitz 502)     £41.4.4      £695     £1,428

[thedigitalbean]

Very interesting, thanks for sharing.