Newsletter: Feature

from Julie Ballard Hyndford in Linesville, PA, farminpa@gmail.com

In the previous article I had given you some examples of how Circular Sock Knitting Machines appeared for sale in newspaper classified ads over the years.

But, if you look closely, you will notice that the owner of this machine would either sell it for $100 or they would be willing to trade it for “a good yoke of cattle.”

The idea of trading a CSM for another item was intriguing. Could there me more people out there willing to swap their CSM for…something else? And if there are more of these people out there, then what exactly would they consider to be an acceptable trade? So, I decided to have a look and see what I could find…

The next example I found a classified ad where the person was willing to trade was in a newspaper from Pittsburgh, PA in 1919. This person preferred to trade their CSM for a camera, but they were open to other offers.

The Kodak Brownie Camera was a popular model at that time and cost between $2.86 and $5.90. So, we can assume the seller was hoping for a more advanced camera. A high-end amateur camera of the day was priced around $25.00 as seen in this 1921 ad.

In this 1920 classified ad from a Rochester, NY Paper we have a little bit of a twist – this person would like to trade an item that they already have in order to get a CSM. This is the only instance where I found that the person wanted to obtain a CSM rather than to trade the CSM for another item. And they must really have wanted a CSM because they were also willing to pay cash if needed.

The next ad was placed in a 1923 newspaper from El Paso, TX. This person is really shooting for the moon – they are offering several items, including a CSM, in exchange for a car!

The Ford Model T was introduced in 1908 and in 1923 it was still the only model of a car that Ford mass produced. In the year 1923 Ford produced over 2 million Model T’s which sold for $365 brand new. Considering that affordable cars had only been produced for about 15 years at this time I was surprised at the volume of used cars that were for sale in 1923. Most of the used cars were only one or two years old and the prices started around $85 and went up from there depending on the condition and the extras (such as a starter – which was an optional add on!

The person placing this next ad in a Wapanucka, OK newspaper in 1926 was apparently proficient on their CSM but they were willing to part with their machine, including giving a presentation on how to operate it, so that they could get into their new venture of raising chickens!

The author of this 1927 classified ad from a Los Angeles, CA newspaper sounds like a person who is setting up housekeeping for the first time, perhaps they are a newlywed. They are in need of some basic household items which they will exchange for their CSM which they had probably considered a hobby.

In the following 1928 New Philadelphia, OH classified ad we have another person who wants to trade their CSM for a vehicle. This time the person is looking for a used truck. Apparently, Ford is the preferred make when you are looking to trade a CSM for a vehicle. Ford began producing a pickup truck in 1926, which was a modified Model T, and sold for $600 when brand new. I found several ads for used trucks in 1928 ranging in price from $35 and up to $195 with the average being $50-$80. So, it seems that their cash asking price for the CSM was in line with the item that they wished to trade for.

In this 1933 ad from Sioux City, IA we have another repeat request, sort of. Back in 1920 the person wanted to swap their items in exchange for either a CSM or a Repeating Rifle or a shotgun. Thus it seems that 13 years later these items are still of equal value.

The next time I found an ad for someone wishing to trade their CSM is in 1938. The person who placed this ad in the Vancouver, BC newspaper is open to all offers for the CSM which they have valued at $75. I wonder what items were offered to them? But most of all, I wonder which item they finally accepted!

In October 1947 this person from Chattanooga, TN placed an ad hoping to swap their CSM for a quite eclectic assortment of items; everything from a car heater to a mandolin and from binoculars to a radio as well as being open to other offers.

In November this same person has placed a new, slightly modified ad. They still want a heater and a radio for their car as well as the binoculars but now they have added a camera to the list. The mandolin is no longer mentioned. Does this mean that they got one after placing the first ad but perhaps they paid for it with cash as it was not a fair exchange for the CSM? Or did the family tell this person that they should pursue a quieter hobby and that is why the camera is now requested in place of the mandolin?

The final classified ad that I could find where someone wanted to trade their CSM for another item was in this 1961 Vancouver, BC ad. Curiously this ad marks the third time that CSM’s and firearms are mentioned in the same ad.

At least this person was open to another option. So, if you didn’t have a rifle available to trade then it was good to know that they would have been just as happy swapping their CSM for an adding machine. I wonder which one they got?