Historical information requested

[mark_eban]

I am trying to ascertain the new selling price of the Leica 1 A in

England in 1930 in pounds sterling (for reasons too dull to go into

here). I would be grateful if anyone can give me any information on

this from contemporary adverising literature, the Amateur

Photographer or some other such source.

 

Thanking you all in anticipation.

[james_elwing]

I have a 1931 British Journal Almanac. The normal Leica ads are confusing as they are also advertising the new interchangeable lens model. Wallace Heaton 'from 17 pounds 5 shillings'new.

 

There is however a second hand Wallace Heaton ad for roll film Leica camera with Elmar 3.5 plus range finder, unknown age 'cost 20 pounds 5 shillings, price 12 pounds 12 shillings'(take away price of rangefinder??)

 

The Westminster Photographic Exchange advertises the basic Leica 1& Elmar for 16 pounds 10 shillings new. This is probably a discounted price as it is not the 'new interchangeable lens model'

 

Thats all I have, sorry.

[a m]

James, very interesting. Do you know what an approximate multiplier would be to convert the 1931 price to current pounds sterling? Or, in more practical terms, what was 15 pounds worth in earning power then. For example, what did a common laborer earn in a week or a month then? What did a cheap car cost then?

[Richard Williams]

According to http://eh.net/hmit/ppowerbp/ £15 in 1931 had about the same 'purchasing power' as £800 today (around the going rate in the UK for a decent secondhand M6). However, I imagine this was a very large amount of money when compared to what large sections of the population were actually earning at the time. Does anyone have the income statistics..?

[mark_eban]

Thanks to James for the prompt and helpful response. In terms of modern money try: http://eh.net/hmit/ppowerbp/ which would indicate that the current leica is MORE expensive now than than it was in 1931. That doesn't strike me as right intuitively. However,I don't think the car question is a good one because mass production techniques have significantly lowered the cost of things like cars since then.

 

I think the average wage question is a better one to ask but then one has to take account of the greater distribution of wealth and demographic changes.

 

Perhaps the best question is what did a doctor earn then in today's money....