How confusing it must have been to buy things in ‘the olden days ago’. This lovely looking rustic seat from an advert in July 1967 is priced at 10 guineas, including carriage – but in an earlier post, I related that the pound had superseded the guinea in 1816, except for in some trades. In the earlier post, that trade was bespoke tailoring. But here we see the guinea and the pound used alongside one another. The guinea was worth 21 shillings, whilst the pound was worth 20 shillings. Today’s equivalent prices of these items is therefore around £161 for the bench, and £123 for the table. That seems quite steep in comparison with what one would pay today. Mind you – is there much elm even left?
Incidentally, Collier & Sons get a mention on the 1986 Domesday Book. It seems they developed the business from garden furniture into the production of over 600 truck bodies per year by that date! They are still going today – but now in Witham, trading as Colliers Truck Builders Ltd.
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