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Possible original "sticker price"?

antalog

Plastic
Joined
Jan 24, 2016
Location
Portland
Ive been working my way through a 117E 16" and came across a pretty interesting discovery. I was purple soaking the outside facing pedestal grate and started to notice some words starting to appear. After getting through 2 layers of old paint I was able to finally see what it was said!





Not sure if it is in fact an original sales "tag". Serial number is 154727 which, if I did the math proper, puts the lathe in at 1945. I have not purchased the serial card...yet.

Has anyone encountered something like this before? Or do they know if this was common practice when they were originally sold?

Its a bit of a shame because I've been repainting the machine as I go and cant really bring myself to cover this. Here is a pic of the lathe at the PO's location. For reference.

 
It was probably put on by a machine dealer. It's like a car MSRP sticker put on by the dealer with all the "value added" parts and accessories the dealer installed.
 
No harm in just painting a border around the periphery and leaving those markings how they are IMHO. Pretty cool!
 
A South Bend Lathe ad in the December 1947 issue of Popular Science shows catalog no. 117-E was $1716.50. This included a 3 phase motor, drum switch, face plate (probably the small one to drive a lathe dog), centers, belt and a tool post. So I dunno, maybe $2450 was a used price from enough years later that inflation had raised the price above what it once was new.

Running $1716.50 through an online inflation calculator shows the equivalent of $20,122 today. But this website is really based on consumer goods so I'd say this equivalence is more than a little fictitious.

David
 
Then, below that, add: '2021 equivalent $35,000'.
No, I didn't figure that out but its surely way up there!

Ha! There was actually more words stenciled on the layer of paint about this base layer. I did my best to try to maintain those at fist but they were just coming off too easily. I took it as a loss and kept soaking, then this current layer kept coming through clearer and clearer.

The current plan is to get this piece back down to its original first layer of paint and just leave it. Its too cool just to paint over it and Im ok with it not matching (although I will most likely paint the inside face :) )
 
Lathes wernt cheap ,pre China.......I have a 1985 price list for the Hercus made 9" South Bend,and base price is over $6,000....this is a bare machine as they came in those days......no chucks at all.
 








 
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