They must have changed something about the price of the stamp. Back in the days when the average woman’s hat cost $5.33, there is NO WAY the average stamp cost 41 cents! I grew up the the era of the penny post card and the 3 cent stamp. If you had a very important letter, which needed to reach its destination in a hurry – you wrote the letter on onionskin paper, put it in a very thin envelope and paid 7 cents for airmail. And that was just in the 1960s. From the style of the ladies’ clothes and hair, it looks more like the end of the 30s or early 40s. I wish the know-it-all types would stop messing with the dialog for classic comic strips! ’
Just to be on the safe side – I checked the average historic cost of postage. From 1932 through 1958, the cost of postage for one ounce was 3 cents. That included for a personal letter or a package. For the 41 cents to be referring to the cost of mailing the hat, the hat would have had to weigh about fourteen ounces – or close to a pound. I have the hat which my mother wore at her wedding in 1938 – the hat weighs about 3 ounces. The hat she wore is similar to the hats shown in this strip. A modern man’s Stetson hat weights between 4 and 6 ounces.
Thought everyone would be interested – Back in 2015, Go Comics ran this same strip but with what appears to be the ORIGINAL dialog included! In the 2015 strip, The postage is quoted as being FIFTEEN CENTS! THAT makes a LOT more sense – the lady would pay THREE CENTS to send a letter to the catalog company and another TWELVE CENTS at THREE CENTS per ounce for the hat to be mailed to her. Which means the would have weighed only FOUR ounces! And, in those days, it would only take the post office three days to deliver a four ounce hat to a lady who spent three cents to send an order to the catalog company.
Since Go Comics apparently has this strip, and many others – with the ORIGINAL dialogue – it would be more fun if Go Comics just kept the ORIGINAL dialogue. The charm of ALL of the Classic comics is the picture they give us of their original time in history!
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From BACK in the olden days when ladies who were ordering fashionable 1930s hats were paying 1930s postage prices.
BasilBruce about 2 years ago
Just three days? This must have been before Trump messed up the postal service.
LoisG Premium Member about 2 years ago
They must have changed something about the price of the stamp. Back in the days when the average woman’s hat cost $5.33, there is NO WAY the average stamp cost 41 cents! I grew up the the era of the penny post card and the 3 cent stamp. If you had a very important letter, which needed to reach its destination in a hurry – you wrote the letter on onionskin paper, put it in a very thin envelope and paid 7 cents for airmail. And that was just in the 1960s. From the style of the ladies’ clothes and hair, it looks more like the end of the 30s or early 40s. I wish the know-it-all types would stop messing with the dialog for classic comic strips! ’
Redd Panda about 2 years ago
Everyone wears white gloves? At least they have 4 fingers and a thumb, unlike some other strips.
brklnbern about 2 years ago
Guess that is tax, but makes no sense unless they updated the amounts for inflation and seems not as the hat is so inexpensive.
e.groves about 2 years ago
Postman, Postman, Don’t be slow. Be like Elvis, Go, Man, Go!
LoisG Premium Member almost 2 years ago
Just to be on the safe side – I checked the average historic cost of postage. From 1932 through 1958, the cost of postage for one ounce was 3 cents. That included for a personal letter or a package. For the 41 cents to be referring to the cost of mailing the hat, the hat would have had to weigh about fourteen ounces – or close to a pound. I have the hat which my mother wore at her wedding in 1938 – the hat weighs about 3 ounces. The hat she wore is similar to the hats shown in this strip. A modern man’s Stetson hat weights between 4 and 6 ounces.
LoisG Premium Member almost 2 years ago
Thought everyone would be interested – Back in 2015, Go Comics ran this same strip but with what appears to be the ORIGINAL dialog included! In the 2015 strip, The postage is quoted as being FIFTEEN CENTS! THAT makes a LOT more sense – the lady would pay THREE CENTS to send a letter to the catalog company and another TWELVE CENTS at THREE CENTS per ounce for the hat to be mailed to her. Which means the would have weighed only FOUR ounces! And, in those days, it would only take the post office three days to deliver a four ounce hat to a lady who spent three cents to send an order to the catalog company.
Since Go Comics apparently has this strip, and many others – with the ORIGINAL dialogue – it would be more fun if Go Comics just kept the ORIGINAL dialogue. The charm of ALL of the Classic comics is the picture they give us of their original time in history!
XXXXXXXXXXXX
From BACK in the olden days when ladies who were ordering fashionable 1930s hats were paying 1930s postage prices.
https://www.gocomics.com/muttandjeff/2015/01/15
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