How old machine?

original54 · Post by **original54** » Tue Feb 15, 2011 2:11 pm

Can someone tell me how old my Mark V is by its serial #271627?

judaspre1982 · Post by **judaspre1982** » Tue Feb 15, 2011 2:32 pm

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JPG · Post by **JPG** » Tue Feb 15, 2011 4:39 pm

1954 would make it a Mark 5 Greenie!

Interesting forum name!:D

original54 · Post by **original54** » Tue Feb 15, 2011 6:32 pm

Wonders will never cease to amaze me, had no idea. Thank you for your help.
According to the Owners Manual that came with it, it cost $298.50.

JPG · Post by **JPG** » Tue Feb 15, 2011 6:45 pm

original54 wrote:Wonders will never cease to amaze me, had no idea. Thank you for your help.
According to the Owners Manual that came with it, it cost $298.50.

10 years later, $259.00!:) And that was with a 1 1/8hp motor and poly-v drive!

dusty · Post by **dusty** » Wed Feb 16, 2011 6:33 am

original54 wrote:Wonders will never cease to amaze me, had no idea. Thank you for your help.
According to the Owners Manual that came with it, it cost $298.50.

That is when the average annual income was about $5000/yr and minimum wage was $.75/hr.

robinson46176 · Post by **robinson46176** » Wed Feb 16, 2011 8:03 am

original54 wrote:Wonders will never cease to amaze me, had no idea. Thank you for your help.
According to the Owners Manual that came with it, it cost $298.50.

And today moving the decimal point one place still wouldn't buy a new one.

.

dusty · Post by **dusty** » Wed Feb 16, 2011 8:17 am

robinson46176 wrote:And today moving the decimal point one place still wouldn't buy a new one.

.

Moving the decimal one place doesn't bring the minimum wage to today's level either.

dusty · Post by **dusty** » Wed Feb 16, 2011 8:19 am

robinson46176 wrote:And today moving the decimal point one place still wouldn't buy a new one.

.

Moving the decimal one place barely brings it to today's level. Does that mean anything? Would we be just as well off with 1950 dollar amounts?

robinson46176 · Post by **robinson46176** » Wed Feb 16, 2011 9:01 am

dusty wrote:Moving the decimal one place barely brings it to today's level. Does that mean anything? Would we be just as well off with 1950 dollar amounts?

I have no interest in going back.

And of course you can't. What you can do is live frugally which also means different things to different people.
Probably the biggest mistake made when comparing the past (say early 1950's) to today is that folks don't factor in the huge difference in the way we generally live now. We had no TV (in our house and in many homes). Even though I live what many would call frugally my house is filled with electronics, many of which most folks consider necessities. I went to school with kids that had no electricity. Out in the country a lot of homes had lights but no indoor plumbing and pumped water by hand. This farm had 3 hand pumps including at the house. My wife and I both grew up with outhouses.
I have about 15 tractors here now, mostly hobby stuff. Several of our neighbors had just gotten "a" tractor about 1948 and were retiring their horses.
I would venture to say that when we go to Wally World that fully 80% of the products in the store didn't exist at all back in the early 1950's.
My only point here is trying to point out our folly in trying to compare then to now... But of course we will till attempt it and it can be fun at times making comparisons.

I am often taken aback by such things as the lady on the Today Show yesterday who kept stressing that a dress they were showing was "ONLY" $1,000...

That was compared to the $2,000 dress they had just shown before it. Discussions of $20,000 to $40,000 weddings always rattle me. Can you imagine the woodshop you could have for that?

It is the "marriage" that matters. The "wedding" doesn't really amount to crap... Ours was a simple wedding but the marriage has lasted 48 years this spring.

Shopsmith Forums

How old machine?

How old machine?

Mark V age