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Was cleaning a 1978 Minolta XG-1 and found the original receipt folded up inside the case
It was from a camera shop in Spokane, Washington. The total was $289.50, which was a lot back then. Adjusted for inflation, that's over $1300 today. Makes you think about how we value these old tools now versus when they were new. Anyone else find cool hidden history in a repair job?
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kelly.hannah1mo ago
Oh man, that's awesome! I found an old work order from 1982 tucked inside a vintage tube radio once. The guy had it fixed for a hum, paid like forty bucks. The shop stamped it with "Adjusted bias, good for another 20 years." Honestly, it felt like shaking hands with the tech who worked on it before I was even born. Those little papers are the best.
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wadew511mo ago
Tuck those papers back where you found them. Honestly, it's part of the history now. I always slip them into a small plastic bag first though, stops the ink from rubbing off on the tubes. Future guy will get the same handshake you did.
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Spokane in 1978, that's a real time capsule. Finding the actual price really hits home how serious a purchase that was, like someone's big Christmas gift or a major hobby investment. It ties the camera to a real person in a way the gear itself can't. I always get that same quiet moment when I find a note or receipt, just thinking about the chain of hands that thing has passed through. It makes the repair feel less like fixing a thing and more like continuing a story.
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