Pounds, Shillings and Pence

[7N7]

For those of you who are not English or who were born since about 1964, the heading will not mean much. "Pounds, Shillings and Pence" were the units of English money up to 1971.

Why do I mention this? Well I have a Brimar "Valve & Teletube Manual" that dates from late 1959. I had forgotten that there was a retail price list.

It's an eye-opener, especially for those who bleat about the prices of NOS valves.

I have opted for an arbitrary conversion factor of 20 to allow for inflation perhaps it should be more?

And so to a few examples. How about the ever-popular 12AX7? In summer 1959 Brimar retailed these for 11/- (11 shillings) plus 3/7d purchase tax, a total of 14/7. This equates to £14.70 - $28.40 in today's money. Now, suppose you wanted a 807; that would cost you in today's money, £25 - $50. And a 6146 at today's prices would be £40 - $80. Interestingly, there was no purchase tax on the last two, I suppose that they were considered "professional" types which were exempt.

Finally the enduring 6SN7GT. Equivalent price today would be £24.70 - $49.50.

And they didn't even tell us what shape the getter was...

An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.

7N7

 

[kevinkr]

For those of you who are not English or who were born since about 1964, the heading will not mean much. "Pounds, Shillings and Pence" were the units of English money up to 1971.

Why do I mention this? Well I have a Brimar "Valve & Teletube Manual" that dates from late 1959. I had forgotten that there was a retail price list.

It's an eye-opener, especially for those who bleat about the prices of NOS valves.

I have opted for an arbitrary conversion factor of 20 to allow for inflation perhaps it should be more?

And so to a few examples. How about the ever-popular 12AX7? In summer 1959 Brimar retailed these for 11/- (11 shillings) plus 3/7d purchase tax, a total of 14/7. This equates to £14.70 - $28.40 in today's money. Now, suppose you wanted a 807; that would cost you in today's money, £25 - $50. And a 6146 at today's prices would be £40 - $80. Interestingly, there was no purchase tax on the last two, I suppose that they were considered "professional" types which were exempt.

Finally the enduring 6SN7GT. Equivalent price today would be £24.70 - $49.50.

And they didn't even tell us what shape the getter was...

An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.

7N7

I've pointed out the same fact until I'm blue in the face.. Think about the Scott 99 amplifier which throughout its life retailed for $99.00 - using the same algorithm of 20X gives us a price just shy of $2K.. A color TV in 1959 cost about $500 - now think about that..

(Any) Electronics in relative terms have never been cheaper than they are today. I am always amazed that a some segment of the populace back in the early 1960s could actually afford good to excellent home hifi at all, when in equivalent dollars they paid as much (or more) as we do for our fairly high end predilections. (And these weren't audiophile types either..) One factor might be that there were not many electronic gadgets vying for their attention so they could justify the expense based on the fact that it was the single electronic luxury available at the time outside of the then very rare color TV..

 

[7N7]

It is also important to remember how much wealthier the United States was in the 'fifties compared with Europe.

This is why of course there are so many NOS valves about across the pond.

I can remember my father telling me that when he bought our first TV set, in 1951, it cost 65 guineas (£68/5/- probably getting on for £2000 today - $4000).

For this we got a 12" screen, "console" model. The picture was pathetic as the transmitter was so far away; I recall he had also to buy a little amplifier that clipped on the back plus of course the cost of having a bloke to turn up and erect an "H" aerial on the roof..

I can also remember him complaining when he had to buy a new valve for the thing - cost about £1... then.

Colour TV did not appear in England until 1968; the first sets I believe cost over £1000 at the time.

I shall try to remember this next time I feel inclined to grumble about paying £10 for a valve that will never be made again!

7N7

 

[Delphaure]

UK inflation calculator

Hi 7N7,

interesting observations !

just for your info, you can use this UK inflation calculator for an accurate value of the 1959 pound.

http://www.moneysorter.co.uk/calculator_inflation.html

1 pound 1959 = 16,27 pounds today

best

rt

 

[7N7]

Re: UK inflation calculator

Hi 7N7,

interesting observations !

just for your info, you can use this UK inflation calculator for an accurate value of the 1959 pound.

http://www.moneysorter.co.uk/calculator_inflation.html

1 pound 1959 = 16,27 pounds today

best

rt

Hello.

Thanks for that; I would be inclined to think that it would be a little more though. I know that these things are averages, but as someone once observed to me "I don't buy a sailing boat/washing machine/car each week."

For example, £3.20 for a packet of cigarettes (good ones) petrol at 64p per litre, a decent house in London, say £80,000?

And that 12AX7 (getter shape unspecified) from Brimar would cost you £12.36!

Thanks again

7N7

 

[Shoog]

I remember my Dad HIFI setup, QUADS, Thorens and Cambridge TL speakers. I observed that prices barely went up at all from the early 80's, and they aren't that cheap now for midrange gear. It scares me to think how much cash was locked up in his setup, which could have been spent on nice things like shoes for the kids etc.

Shoog