Free Credenza with Every Purchase

[novkev24]

I found this ad in The Altoona Mirror - Monday, April 14, 1930. With the purchase of a living room suite, they gave you a free Credenza!

According to the ad, furniture prices ranged from $159.00 to $498.00. Let's do the math:

$159.00 in 1930 = $2,153.93 in 2011

$498.00 in 1930 = $6,746.26 in 2011

The spring driven Credenza cost $275.00 in 1925, which was $3,725.34 in 2011. Interesting to see that in a period of five years, the Credenza went from the greatest thing since sliced bread to a giveaway...

Click on the image to enlarge

[brianu]

considering the cost of the furniture, I'd hardly call that a giveaway (for the phonograph). but interesting ad though, I've never seen one with that sort of promotion.

[David Spanovich]

Thanks for posting that! I'm wondering, though, if a Credenza model was what the customer really got, since the ad says "a genuine Victrola and 12 double-face records," and doesn't specify the model. It's possible, in other words, that the Credenza was used only for "illustration purposes," especially since it looks like an early two-door model.

Along that line, the ad doesn't say whether it's a brand new Victrola, or a serviced model taken in trade-in.

Still, it sort of makes me wish I had a time machine, and could trade--one for one--every dollar I have now.

DS

[novkev24]

considering the cost of the furniture, I'd hardly call that a giveaway (for the phonograph). but interesting ad though, I've never seen one with that sort of promotion.

Brianu,

You're probably right about the price. I would say that furniture was pretty high-end stuff. Today, you would pay that kind of money for Ethan Allen or Stickley. Now if Ethan Allen starts giving away Credenzas, count me in!

[novkev24]

Thanks for posting that! I'm wondering, though, if a Credenza model was what the customer really got, since the ad says "a genuine Victrola and 12 double-face records," and doesn't specify the model. It's possible, in other words, that the Credenza was used only for "illustration purposes," especially since it looks like an early two-door model.

Along that line, the ad doesn't say whether it's a brand new Victrola, or a serviced model taken in trade-in.

Still, it sort of makes me wish I had a time machine, and could trade--one for one--every dollar I have now.

DS

David,

I was wondering the same thing about the picture of the machine with the two doors. I was thinking they possibly had some two door machines left that they were trying to get rid of. And I'm with you on the time machine...

-Kevin

[OrthoSean]

Very cool and thanks for sharing! By 1930, there were plenty of retailers that had handled Victor products that still had unsold stock, so it's entirely possible. I can still recall the story I was told by another collector maybe 10 years ago about three or four Orthophonic Victors that had been found in an old furniture store's storage, still new in their crates. I think they all wound up on eBay. A few years back at Union, somebody was selling a still-crated 4-40 as well, so again, this was entirely possible.

Sean

[novkev24]

Very cool and thanks for sharing! By 1930, there were plenty of retailers that had handled Victor products that still had unsold stock, so it's entirely possible. I can still recall the story I was told by another collector maybe 10 years ago about three or four Orthophonic Victors that had been found in an old furniture store's storage, still new in their crates. I think they all wound up on eBay. A few years back at Union, somebody was selling a still-crated 4-40 as well, so again, this was entirely possible.

Sean

That would be amazing to get a machine still in it's crate. Knowing the exact history of a machine. What else can one ask for.

[Retrograde]

I found this ad in The Altoona Mirror - Monday, April 14, 1930. With the purchase of a living room suite, they gave you a free Credenza!

That there is some ugly furniture.

[gramophoneshane]

the Credenza went from the greatest thing since sliced bread to a giveaway...

And over 80 years later they're still almost giving them away, at least in comparison to what we pay for machines here.
Over here, a really nice 102 will sell for what it costs you guys for a Credenza