Hand Coil Wave-Winder

[Yorkie]

The 'list price' shown on the instruction leaflet is $7.50, I wonder what that equates to now? What was an average weekly wage in the US in the mid-30's?

Andy

Using a US historical inflation calculator $7.50 in 1935 equates to $126 today (1,588% US inflation 1935 - 2012).

You can't really make an historical comparison between the US and UK because not only do we have different exchange rates over time, we have very different inflation rates. As a child in the 1940s I recall that you got $4.00 US for £1.00 GBP. In fact until currency went decimal, we often referred to half a crown (two shillings and six pence - 12½p in today’s terms) as being 'half a dollar'. I imagine that's what it would have been back in the mid 30s so the coil winder then would have been the equivalent of about £2.00GBP. UK inflation since the 1930s has been far higher than the US, and accounting for UK inflation (5,960% since 1935), at £2.00 in 1935, the winder equates to £120 at today’s prices.

Sources:

US historical inflation calculator: http://www.usinflationcalculator.com/

UK historical inflation calculator:

http://safalra.com/other/historical-uk-i...onversion/

To drift further off topic, compared to the dollar, the pound a junk currency at today’s exchange rate. (About $1.60 US = £1.00GBP), and it’s the same for the Pound against most currencies. In 1959, along with two chums we flew to Geneva with our bikes, and spent 3 weeks riding over Swiss passes. At that time, the exchange rate was 22 Swiss Francs = £1.00GPB. In 1963, by which time I was married and had abandoned the pedal cycle for a motorbike, my wife and I retraced the same journey by motorbike. The exchange rate in just three years had fallen from 22 Francs down to 16 – a fall of 27%. Today, the Pound stands at just 1.47 Francs = £1.00 – probably less for the tourist exchange rate – a fall of 93% in 43 years. Not a suitable topic for debate as inevitably, much of the reason for that is political – not simply socio-economic, so let’s not go there!

What a lucky find at a 'Buy Now' price in the US Andy. A lot of US vintage test gear seems to go for very reasonable prices, but of course, the P&P and risk of damage tends to put the mockers on it.

I managed to get some bits of brass sheet at Rufforth today (15, 25 and 30 thou), so hopefully, will be able to get on with making the wire guide to finish off the little winder I'm on with.