A VCR From the Past

Have you ever opened up a time capsule? I haven't, but while I was in California last week my sister did. It was supposed to be opened when she turned 21, but my parents had forgotten to present the gift way back in 2001.

Having found it in the basement a while back, they remembered that the time capsules were prepared by a family friend and that I had one too. This friend had rolled up a Los Angeles Times from our birth dates and saved them for us. My Times is still in Colorado, but we had some good laughs looking through the LA Times from April 7, 1980.

I paid particular attention to the ads, my favorite featured in this picture. This is an ad for a VCR, very new technology in 1980!

Here is the good stuff...the fine print, if you can't read it all.

"5 free movie rentals when you buy your video recorder!"

"Our lowest advertised price ever!" Don't forget the exclamation point.

"$739"

"$10 below our last advertised price!" Exclamation point again, for emphasis of course on that ten dollar discount.

And that little number at bottom center. "$17.95 each" That's the price for a blank cassette.

Now, back to the future.