Internet Horology Club 185
Price of a Hamilton in 1914

This topic can be found at:
https://ihc185.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/1086047761/m/3023953677

December 23, 2012, 18:38
Werner Rosier
Price of a Hamilton in 1914
Hi all, are there any old pocket watch catalogues around, I´d like to ask what a Hamilton 992, or Elgin, or Waltham of the same grade would have cost those day (1910-1918)?

Thanks


My WWW collection is now complete, time to look for new ventures!
December 23, 2012, 18:48
Andy Schwartz
look at the bunn tag I have posted in the members auctions, heres the link, 47.50, approx 1923-4

https://ihc185.infopop.cc/eve/f...6021842/m/4323933677
December 23, 2012, 19:21
Lorne Wasylishen
1916 - 992 - $32.50 USD - Movement only.
December 24, 2012, 13:30
Robert McClelland
Werner, here are a couple pages from the Otto Young catalog from 1915 with prices for various Hamiltons

Otto Young 1915 1

December 24, 2012, 13:31
Robert McClelland
Here is the page for ones sold as movements only

Otto Young 1915 2

December 24, 2012, 13:37
Robert McClelland
And to finish it out here are the 18 size movement prices from 1915

Otto Young 3

December 24, 2012, 15:00
Dr. Debbie Irvine

There are catalog pages and prices for Hamilton, Illinois and Hampden posted in the "Newly Expanded Hamilton Horology" section linked from here...

Hamilton Movement Numbers and Hamilton Horology Reference Materials

Debbie

Smile

December 24, 2012, 16:08
Jack Marsh
Sure would like to do some Christmas shopping from
THAT catalog .... Very interesting times back then.

I sometimes wonder. Will anything made today seem
that COOL a hundred years from now ????
I don't think so. But Who Knows ? Jack
December 24, 2012, 16:19
Bruce Byrd
It's interesting to see what cases they where housed in back in 1915.


Bruce Byrd
December 24, 2012, 17:51
Larry Buchan
Interesting catalog pages Robert, the first I've seen with movements only in the glass back in front nickel display cases.

Larry
December 27, 2012, 08:17
Werner Rosier
Thank you all for your help, much appreciated.


My WWW collection is now complete, time to look for new ventures!
December 27, 2012, 12:46
Jim Bielefeldt
According to the Inflation Calculator a 1916 Dollar is worth 21.91 and a 1923 Dollar is worth $13.35. So adjusted for inflation the 992 movement Lorne mentioned above as costing 32.50 in today's money would cost $712.08.
The 1923-4 Bunn that Andy says cost $47.50 when adjusted to inflation would cost $634.13 in todays money when a 1923 dollar is adjusted for inflation.
All in all it looks like they have lost money.
December 27, 2012, 13:19
Evan Patton
It's not surprising they've lost real value since new--just about everything does. The only watches I've seen that seem to appreciate after purchase are Rolex and Patek Phillipe, and even they depreciate for a couple years before beginning to appreciate.

That being said I'm guessing they've been appreciating (for the most part) since their values bottomed, probably about 10-20 years after they were new. Of course macro-economic events like the melt down in 2008, etc. can have a pretty big impact on values.
December 27, 2012, 13:22
Claude Griffith
You can find references to two catalogs Otto Young (OY) and Oskamp-Nolting on the internet what I have noticed is there were tiers of pricing, typically Illinois, Elgin, Waltham fell in a pricing tier together and below them were Hamilton, South Bend, Rockford etc, below that tier was the lower non-dollar tier which would include Trenton (or Ingersoll-Trenton) and a few others.

There would have been a pricing tier above Elgin, Waltham and Illinois but I have never seen those listed in these catalogs.