This is an Oldsmobile ad from the August 5, 1939 Saturday Evening Post. The Post used to be a quality weekly magazine and featured many famous authors, cartoonists and illustrators. They are probably best remembered as a promoter of Norman Rockwell who did many wonderful covers for them each year. As a matter of fact, this issue has a Rockwell cover too, but it is not the editorial content I am blogging about here.
As you may remember I am the world's #2 worst Packrat (these days we are called Hoarders). I say #2 because I always figure there must be someone somewhere who is even worse than I am. Recently when I glimpsed a featured Hoarder on the TV show of the same name I was appalled to see that I am actually nuthin' compared to a real live reality show packrat.....in fact my mediocre little messes, junkpiles and inexplicable collections are so feeble by comparison as to make me feel ashamed that I use the word to describe myself.
However, I was assiduously going through a carton of stuff I have saved since my Dad died with the hope that I could bring myself to find at least one scrap that I could make my clutching fingers dispose of and I found the Post. When I saw the date I showed it to Mickey and he wanted to look through it before I tossed it out. He is the one who found this incredible ad for the new 1940 Oldsmobile with the price starting at $777. Yep, that is seven hundred and seventy-seven dollars, folks. But don't forget, the minimum wage in those days was probably 35 cents an hour. I know when I had my first job after school during high school....probably 1943....it was 40 cents an hour and I was thrilled to pieces to take home $8.00 a week for after school and Saturdays. ( During the summer when I could work full time it was the grand sum of $16.00 a week and I felt rich as Midas.)
Anyway, I am having the devil of a time getting my sticky fingers to let go of this magazine and it occurred to me that someone out there might want to look through it so I'm making an offer with no strings. I will be thrilled to mail this rare item free to anyone who might like to have it (first come first served). Now, don't expect mint condition......some of the pages are loose and the edges of some are tattered, but the content is legible and will amaze the hell out of you. And, if no one wants it I will not be offended....in fact it will make it easier for me to toss it away.
Of course, if I get one or more takers it will simply validate my theory that everything that I have saved IS valuable and that there is probably someone in the world that would be happy to have it, but I will not let that corrupt my newly found drive to lighten my load. Feel free to respond promptly my dears........... going, going, gone.
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