[Oleg Volk]

http://olegvolk.net/gallery/d/22867-2/investment1049_001.jpg

[WeedWhacker]

That's a fantastic picture on so many levels! About the only critical point I can make is that the first object took some time to recognize as a camera.

[General Geoff]

I like it.

[ChopperKen]

I had no problem With the camera, I have a few of them as decoration in my house... Wish I could get $10.00 ea.for them.

[Titan6]

You can still pick up the cameras at yard sales for $10 when you can find them. The handgun? Not a chance...

[Hokkmike]

All of my guns were purchased within the last 20 years or so. I think it will be long after I'm gone before they appreciate to any significant value. Nice pic Oleg.

[bogie]

But the dang things are just SO cool... I've got a folding box brownie that works... Problem is that the negative is about 4x6 in size... Just the thing for shooting a large group of folks... Except you get ONE shot...

[Unisaw]

Oleg, great photo but not a compelling point of view. The nominal return on the gun investment would be about 2.7%, slightly less than inflation over the same period. So, in real purchasing power terms, the gun investment produced a loss.

[Oleg Volk]

That's true (though the $150 is less than what that gun is now worth, now that I think of it). Perhaps I should put "keeps its value" for accuracy.

[98C5]

How about having the name of the camera above the "Price in 1920". The same with the gun.

[Cesiumsponge]

I hate to be a naysayer but...

A camera isn't typically thought of as an alternative to a firearm as a lifesaving tool or as an investment so the poster (to me) seems somewhat unfocused. I also don't think generic firearms should be shown as an alternative financial investment either as the price of firearms hasn't really risen that much, just the dollar dropping in value. If you have a collector's firearm, that is different, but you don't generally have those set up for use in self-defense so I really see the two issues as unrelated.

Gold was $20.67 spot price per troy ounce in 1920. The closing price on the NY market for gold yesterday was $783.10. If a general firearm went up 10 fold in a century without accounting for inflation, gold has gone up almost 40 fold. Heck, Rhodium was $182.89/oz in February of 1997, and it is $6,675/oz today, a 36 fold gain on a lousy 10 year investment.

[WeedWhacker]

I'm not much of an economist, but it appears to me that the sharp, extreme jump in metal prices over the past few years has been due to, among a few other things, increased demand and a sharply devalued US dollar.

[kd7nqb]

What cost $15 in 1920 would cost $169.29 in 2006.

Also, if you were to buy exactly the same products in 2006 and 1920,
they would cost you $15 and $1.33 respectively.

http://www.westegg.com/inflation/infl.cgi