One day in 1975.
One day in the spring of 1975, my friend Jeff and I were walking to the local grocer with his mom. It was a typical walk with Jeff’s mom stopping to talk to every stranger while we looked at each other in wonder of this defiance of everything we were ever told about “don’t talk to strangers”.
After a couple three chats with other ladies about there walks, Jeff and I spotted a dollar bill on the sidewalk. We couldn’t believe our good fortune. I picked up the bill from that strip of grass that separates the sidewalk from the street and exclaimed something adult like, “What about this?”
Jeff’s mom quickly responded, “Well, a dollar! You boys found it, and there’s nobody else around who might have dropped it, so I guess you get to keep it.”
The shopping spree was on! Now keep in mind this is 1975 and in the heart of the ghetto of Spokane, Washington. I’m not joking about living in the ghetto. As a child I didn’t really UNDERSTAND I was living in the ghetto, but I certainly was. Poor, bad neighborhood, but I think our parents all distracted us enough so we wouldn’t learn about how bad it was until we were older and out of that situation.
So we get to Rosauers (the grocery store) and in we went with our MASSIVE FORTUNE! I remember this as clearly as if it happened earlier today. And for a guy with a sketchy memory, this is pretty good. Actually it’s just my short term memory that has the problem, long term is okay, especially with events that had a great affect on me.
Jeff and I decided we would save nothing, we would maximize our gains with purchases that would make this day great. We planned for the better part of an hour. Scheming and agreeing on what would be most fun and equal. We came up with the idea of snacks we normally wouldn’t be afforded and then the stroke of genius came… Comic books! We could each get one and then after we read them, we could trade. It was almost like finding more than a dollar. It was akin to finding $1.50. We would each read two comics books and own one.
Snacks were first. After researching our costs, we came up with Twinkies and Shasta Root Beer. The Twinkies were $.13 each and the Shastas were $.12 each. That was 50 cents which left us enough exactly for 2 $.25 comic books. I decided on Superman (Action Comics) and Jeff settled on Batman. Since there was no sales tax at the grocery store in 1975, this one dollar bill would make this all happen with ease. We decided to move ahead without Jeff’s mom. We gathered out items, moved to the front of the store, laid down our books and treats and I slapped that dollar down with the vigor of a major TV character who would slap $100 down on a counter top in much the same way while yelling, “I’m out! Yeah, I’m outta the contest!” I said nothing when I slapped my dollar down, I just looked at the cashier lady (lady, ha, she was probably 19 years old) as if to say, “There it is honey. Do it up!”
Just then Jeff’s mom approached us as she was ringing us up and the girl said to Jeff’s mom, ”It’s okay these boys are buying this stuff right?” “Hey, it’s their money,” she replied. Whew…
So off we went home hearing nothing but commands to slow down all the way back.
When we arrived home, we went into Jeff’s room and set up shop. Superman and Batman stories and Twinkies and Shasta. It’s one of the fondest memories I have from childhood.
33 years later, Jeff and I are still friends. He’s more a brother to me than any actual brothers I may or may not have.
Below are the actual comics we bought as well as depictions of the snacks.
To put in in financial perspective, in 2008, this purchase would cost $12.68 (not including sales tax if any). Maybe if I’m lucky, I’ll find a thirteen dollar bill on the ground sometime soon…
Good times!
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Comments
Just think if you guys bought 2 comic books each! How much would they be worth today?
I still have one of them (possibly both) and they’re porbably worth in the vacinity of 5 to 7 bux each. They were pretty popular at the time and so many many copies were printed, they’re not that rare.
The important thing to remember about the value of old things, comics, paintings, books, autographs, etc is that they are only of any value to someone who wants it.
I have some 2000AD comic books from way back in 1979 including the No 1 issue, mint condition and sealed away. I have the December, 1969 edition of National Geographic which has the first moon landing article in it WITH the floppy plastic recording record still inside. To most people these are valueless, maybe a few dollars each. However a quick search followed by a few E-mail exchanges led to an offer of 500 dollars for the NG 1969 and 800 dollars for the 2000AD comic.
The whole point is that value is ascribed by demand and availability… if parents didn’t throw out your kids stuff these things would never gain demand which = value, to the right person.
Yeah. Here’s a heartbreaker, I’ll never get over… My father was born in 1928. When he was ten years old, my grandmother bought him a comic book. Action Comics #1 with a new super hero… SUPERMAN! After he read it a few times, she BURNED IT IN THE FUCKING FIRE PLACE. Who knew (then)? Imagine if he kept it. I’d have it now. Talk about value…
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