adam1982 Posted September 20, 2011 Share Posted September 20, 2011 $28,000 in today's money Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WQ59B Posted September 20, 2011 Share Posted September 20, 2011 {jaw hits floor} Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keiser31 Posted September 20, 2011 Share Posted September 20, 2011 Well, in 1954 you could get a five bedroom house for $12,000. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
West Peterson Posted September 20, 2011 Share Posted September 20, 2011 Translate the difference in today's market, that the Duesy was 1/4 the cost of the home, and it really shows you where the Duesy market was. 5-bedroom home: $200,0001931 Duesenberg: $50,000 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Henderson Posted September 20, 2011 Share Posted September 20, 2011 MODEL A DUESENBERG PRICES FROM 1935;1924 $501925 $751926 $751927 $100But these were wholesale prices. Retail could have been a whopping 25 or 50 bucks more! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RPrice Posted September 20, 2011 Share Posted September 20, 2011 I remember, back in the '50s, Motor Trend magazine used to have a classified section toward the back of the magazine. Ads like the Duesenberg one were pretty common then. If we only knew what would happen. Rog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lebowski Posted September 20, 2011 Share Posted September 20, 2011 That must have been frustrating back then when you had to sit down and write the seller a letter since he didn't include a phone number and then wait a few days for a response.... :eek: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1937hd45 Posted September 21, 2011 Share Posted September 21, 2011 (edited) I always liked the story about Duesenberg restorer/racer Jim Hoe. He bought a running J sedan on Long Island, and asked the seller if he could borrow an ax after paying for the car. He chopped the body off and drove the chassis home and build his SCCA race car out of it. He also bought TWO J's that were stored in a gas station basement during WWII, $700. for the PAIR. Edited September 21, 2011 by 1937hd45 (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty_OToole Posted September 21, 2011 Share Posted September 21, 2011 Supposedly Merle Norman of Merle Norman World of Beauty fame sold his Duesenberg to Bill Harrah for $5000 in 1959 to finance his cosmetics company startup.In 1969 he asked Harrah to sell him his old car back. Harrah replied that he did not usually sell his cars but because it was him, he could have it back for $50,000.Norman indignantly refused. The car remained in Harrah's collection until he died and the collection was broken up in 1985 or 86. At that time it sold for over $500,000. Not sure if Norman bought it but I hope he did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bleach Posted September 21, 2011 Share Posted September 21, 2011 I'm kind of skeptical of the Duesenburg story.Anyway, you must be thinking of J.B. Nethercutt. Merle Norman was his aunt and she started the cosmetics company back in the 30's. JB was a co-founder of the company. JB was an avid car collector and amassed a huge collection of rare antique and classic automobiles over his lifetime. Some of the collection is on display at their museum next to their headquarters in Sylmar, CA. Here's more on JB and Merle Norman: http://nethercuttcollection.org/Founders.aspx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsancle Posted September 21, 2011 Share Posted September 21, 2011 I'm kind of skeptical of the Duesenburg story.Anyway, you must be thinking of J.B. Nethercutt. Merle Norman was his aunt and she started the cosmetics company back in the 30's. JB was a co-founder of the company. JB was an avid car collector and amassed a huge collection of rare antique and classic automobiles over his lifetime. Some of the collection is on display at their museum next to their headquarters in Sylmar, CA. Here's more on JB and Merle Norman: Founders+1 and I think it was a number of cars, not just one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
West Peterson Posted September 21, 2011 Share Posted September 21, 2011 I believe the story is true, except I think it was later than 1959. A.J. is right, it was a number of cars. J.B. sold the cars to Harrah, but I think he tried to buy them back almost immediately when he found a different way to finance the cosmetic company. Whether Harrah refused, or was asking way too much, I don't know. But I do know that he bought the Duesenberg back at the auction in 1986(?). It was the SJN convertible coupe, and I think it was for a lot more than $500,000... I think closer to $1.5 million. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted September 21, 2011 Share Posted September 21, 2011 That Jim Hoe story seems to be a stretch, although I remember the people who sat around garages and told those stories.This 1958 article sounds more realistic: The majestic automobiles are still in circulation thanks - 06.16.58 - SI VaultBernie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Klayfish Posted September 21, 2011 Share Posted September 21, 2011 Wonder if 50 years from now, our kids, grandkids, great-grandchildren will all say "Can you believe what a 1996 (insert make/model here) sold for back in 2011???" With the number of 80's and 90's cars I've owned over the years, I'm sure I've already had one.This was a similar situation with the original Shelby Cobras, wasn't it? Didn't they have a hard time selling them when they were new? I thought they didn't skyrocket in price until many, many years later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarlLaFong Posted September 21, 2011 Share Posted September 21, 2011 That Jim Hoe story seems to be a stretch, although I remember the people who sat around garages and told those stories.This 1958 article sounds more realistic: The majestic automobiles are still in circulation thanks - 06.16.58 - SI VaultBernieThe story also struck me as one of those tales that Ol' Uncle Booger would regale his buddies with, while sittin' around the pickle barrel." Anyone in his right mind would drive the car home, unbolt the body and lift it off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Restorer32 Posted September 21, 2011 Share Posted September 21, 2011 A case could be made that anyone in their right mind wouldn't have been buying Duesenbergs at the time. Art Brummer once told me that he used to buy barns full of old cars and would always leave the 4 door convertibles behind because no one was interested in them. He eventually bought a Dues closed car not 3 miles from our house sitting in a machine shop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jscheib Posted September 21, 2011 Share Posted September 21, 2011 How about this. I was looking in some old magazines - mid 70s, before they are tossed -I found that the price for my '32 Buick 4 door sedan was about the same for a '53 Buick Skylark. I should have switched then if it was a question of value. Now the Skylark has a 4 times the value.John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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