A young collectors question.

Discussion in 'Bullion Investing' started by Corn Man, Sep 23, 2020.

  1. Corn Man

    Corn Man Well-Known Member

    How did you check silver and gold spot prices back before the internet? Was it on tv 24/7? Was the news constantly covering it?
     
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  3. furryfrog02

    furryfrog02 Well-Known Member

    [​IMG]
     
  4. ToughCOINS

    ToughCOINS Dealer Member Moderator

    The previous day's close would be printed in the commodities table in the financial section of most newspapers.

    What's a newspaper? . . . a subject for another thread.
     
  5. midas1

    midas1 Exalted Member

    Also, you could call your broker using a dial tone phone.
    What's a dial tone phone? In a lot of houses, it's usually near the newspaper.
     
  6. baseball21

    baseball21 Well-Known Member

    Those are those things you use to start BBQs right? :p
     
  7. Corn Man

    Corn Man Well-Known Member

    Thanks for the info I was curious!
     
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  8. ZoidMeister

    ZoidMeister Hamlet Squire of Tomfoolery . . . . .

    Wall Street Journal.
     
  9. green18

    green18 Unknown member Sweet on Commemorative Coins Supporter

    Google is your friend........
     
  10. green18

    green18 Unknown member Sweet on Commemorative Coins Supporter

    Not gonna do your homework for you.......
     
  11. midas1

    midas1 Exalted Member

    Google wasn't around before the Internet. It's been interesting watching Google get better and better. Before Google changed the computing landscape I had a love/hate relationship w/ Boolean searches.

    Google turned out to be a pretty good investment - went public around $80 it closed today $1,433.00. Pre split the price would be $2,866 per share.
     
    Last edited: Sep 24, 2020
  12. fretboard

    fretboard Defender of Old Coinage!

    Yes and some coin shops had Ticker Tape machines, to stay current! :D Anyone here remember those? :cigar:

    ticker140xN.2107304713_pjob.jpg ticker 0xN.1657455417_7mll.jpg
     
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  13. Corn Man

    Corn Man Well-Known Member

    How in the world did that work?
     
  14. Randy Abercrombie

    Randy Abercrombie Supporter! Supporter

    This thread got my mind reeling. It’s funny to think of life before cell phones and the web. When I started in the construction industry.....
    • The important people wore beepers.
    • Businesses all had receptions to answer phone calls.
    • Documents had to be mailed. Really urgent documents would go via courier.
    • I remember the first time I was asked for a fax number and I had no clue what the caller was referring to.
    • Taking donuts to meet a client was a big ice breaker. Now the ladies in the office will run you off if you come in with donuts.
    • You could gauge the success of the day by how often your office phones rang.
    • We mailed bills and wrote checks to pay for our bills.
    • We could buy drinks at lunch for our clients without worrying about a lawsuit.
    I could go on all day. I enjoyed the trip down memory lane.
     
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  15. midas1

    midas1 Exalted Member

    Before word processors & photocopy copy machines, carbon paper was placed between sheets of paper then rolled into a typewriter to make copies of documents.

    When I think of it I look for Ticker Tape Machines covered in a glass dome. They sell very quickly.

    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Sep 26, 2020
  16. midas1

    midas1 Exalted Member

    Data was sent from stock exchanges and other businesses over 22gauge analog copper telephone wires to ticker tape/teletype machines where the data was interpreted then posted on a moving tape that was read by the recipient. If I remember correctly (fat chance) data printed on a scrolling roll of paper were called teletype machines.
    Ticker tape and teletype machines were noisy that's why they were covered over the working mechanisms.

    One of my first jobs was working as a clerk for the local office of Furness Withy steamship company. They had teletype machines constantly receiving data from around the world. We had two "tea breaks" a day, free roundtrip to Bermuda on a company liner each year. Received a nice bonus at Christmas time.
     
    Last edited: Sep 26, 2020
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  17. Collecting Nut

    Collecting Nut Borderline Hoarder

    Life did exist before the Internet.
     
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  18. desertgem

    desertgem Senior Errer Collecktor

    Telegrams were used for important messages to people to insure prompt delivery. Unfortunately telegraphic code was different from Morse code or I could have had a job while in high school...but I did get to work in a pharmacy :) And I still remember code. I handled 1000+ phone patches to VietNam to our soldiers during the war and many were joyful, more were so sad.
    Jim ( 50+ yr. ARRL member ), WAS (Novice), DXCC, former Div.VP. etc.

    Times fly by faster as you age........
     
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  19. Santinidollar

    Santinidollar Supporter! Supporter

    And if I recall correctly, we did quite well.
     
  20. Hommer

    Hommer Curator of Semi Precious Coinage

    Used to haul livestock to the market and set an watch the ticker tape machice. Their was a guy there who would read the tape and write the current maket prices on a board in chalk.

    We always kept up daily with the markets for farm products. Using newspapers, the radio, and the tv.
     
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  21. Collecting Nut

    Collecting Nut Borderline Hoarder

    We survived! You and I are living proof!
     
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