[Palomine]

I remember getting a Viewmaster back in the stone age, AKA the 1960's, and now wishing I still had one. History channel Pawn Stars are only 15 miles from where I live. I wonder how much it would be worth now .... 

No need to wonder. A quick skim of completed auctions on eBay show zillions of them routinely sell for $20. bucks or so, often including dozens of viewer reels too. As with most things produced in mass quantities, just because something is old (or kitsch) doesn't mean it's valuable. And ever since eBay, etc... basically gave everyone on the planet the chance to empty their garage to the whole world's potential customer base, an excess of supply for a given level of demand helps keep prices low too.

[solvegas]

No need to wonder. A quick skim of completed auctions on eBay show zillions of them routinely sell for $20. bucks or so, often including dozens of viewer reels too. As with most things produced in mass quantities, just because something is old (or kitsch) doesn't mean it's valuable. And ever since eBay, etc... basically gave everyone on the planet the chance to empty their garage to the whole world's potential customer base, an excess of supply for a given level of demand helps keep prices low too.

Thanks for the info. Guess the law of supply and demand is a super tough nut to overcome. I do wish me and brothers had not utterly and gleefully destroyed our GI Joes back in those days. I know one in decent shape can be valuable and one in a original unopened box is super expensive. 

[rtpoe]

Joe Posnanski muses on watching TV while growing up....

"Over time, I would say I learned a lot of things from television.

Cool meant being able to get a jukebox to play music merely by hitting it.

Uncool meant trying to pick up women at the Regal Beagle.

Love meant enduring Michael J. Fox, even in his Reagan years.

Hope meant believing that you might have a singing career, even while working as a waitress for Mel.

Justice represented slamming the door in the face of the doorman, who was always trawling for a tip.

Technology meant giving somebody one bionic arm and one bionic eye.

Judgment meant deciding whether or not to gong someone.

Country meant Marie Osmond.

Rock 'n Roll meant Donnie Osmond.

Being **92** meant hiccuping a lot, like Foster Brooks.

Being dumb meant bidding on the first showcase showdown. In those days, the second one was ALWAYS better.

The greatest insult was calling someone a hockey puck. Or meathead. Or telling them to put a rubber hose up their nose.

Bad guys always tried to outrun the cops.

Everyone wanted to shoot J.R.

"Leave The Sugardome"

[gOOber]

 
I briefly held the record for the youngest person on earth.

[gOOber]

Once upon a time, I could and did use one of these.

[solvegas]

Once upon a time, I could and did use one of these.

Me too. We used it on shop class and in math. Few years later I bought a Ti-30 calculator for $45 ( How Cheap in 1976 !    ) and the ol' slip stick got lost somewhere. I remember in my school a math teacher brought an Abacus so we could understand how clever the chinese could be. Guess at the time I didn't appreciate the lesson and it didn't stick too well.

[DruulEmpire]

Watch carefully and a slide rule turns up in "Apollo 13."

[Eliza D]

Watch carefully and a slide rule turns up in "Apollo 13."

That scene where all the guys in Mission Control check his math is a numbing reminder of just how primitive technology was in those days.  They would check their math multiple times manually!  

I seem to recall that there was less power in the LEM's computer than an old Commodore 64 computer.  Amazing stuff.

[gOOber]

 

[gOOber]

 

[Zorro]

I remember doing the old "duck and cover" in grade school.

I told the teacher it was useless since, at that time, Pittsburgh PA would be a prime civilian target because of all the steel mills and coal mines in the area.

In later years as a gunnersmate technician when I worked with nukes, we were told the fireball for a 1 megaton bomb would be 5 miles in diameter.

I believe that the soviet union's ICBMs were 20 megaton at that time.

[luvdemwhoppers]

Bucky Covington said it best/ view vid on youtube "different world"
We were born to mothers who smoked and drank Our cribs were covered in lead based paint No **09** proof lids, no seat belts in cars Rode bikes with no helmets and still here we are, still here we are
We got daddy's belt when we misbehaved Had three TV channels you got up to change No video games and no satellite All we had were friends and they were outside, playin' outside
It was a different life When we were boys and girls Not just a different time It was a different world
School always started the same every day The pledge of allegiance then someone would pray Not every kid made the team when they tried We got disappointed and that was all right, we turned out all right

No bottled water, we drank from a garden hose And every Sunday, all the stores were closed.

it's was a different world, and Don Ameche said "things change" damn straight Don.

[pedonbio]

That scene where all the guys in Mission Control check his math is a numbing reminder of just how primitive technology was in those days.  They would check their math multiple times manually!  

I seem to recall that there was less power in the LEM's computer than an old Commodore 64 computer.  Amazing stuff.

I detect a note of sarcasm in your post, Eliza, 'cuz slide rules got us to the moon and back, but computers haven't...

[gOOber]

Does anyone remember Susan Dey of the TV show "The Partridge Family"? I didn`t watch it much but I had the hots for Ms. Dey. Ariel reminds me of her.

[DruulEmpire]

gOOb, did you ever try to watch "LA Law"?

V to gOOb next page: well, that's where Susan Dey went, just sayin'.