The Pine Tree State is beckoning and I’ve heeded the call. I’m off to Maine to celebrate the day of my birth with a weekend of good food, relaxation and hopefully some proper fall weather. With Maine on the brain, I leave you with this two page spread from a 1939 L.L. Bean catalog that I recently acquired. Great to see how little has changed with regard to the iconic Bean Boots. Still as relevant today as they were seven decades ago. Have a great weekend and I’ll see you on the other side.
If you can’t read that, here’s the giant scan.
I hope it is a banner celebration – happy birthday! October is by far the best month for them.
Happy B-Day Michael
I’ve been dying to get my hands on a pair of Bean Boots… But we don’t get them here and we have to pay so many taxes when we buy something outside of europe, it’s just not fair!!!!
I have mine and they’re great faithful to the original design
Nice boots. I love seeing the prices in these old ads so I did a little comparison just because I have nothign else to do. In 1939 a 10″ Maine hunting boot cost 4.85, adjusted to 2009 dollars that is about $74.13. At LLBean.com their Maine Hunting Boot with Gore Tex/Thinsulate liner retails for 164.00. I know, the boot made today is probably warmer and dryer than that 1939 boot but I thought it was interesting. You got a lot more for your money back then.
There are plenty of things that have been added into that cost between now and 1939 – I doubt the company has increased their margin that much on the Bean boots. Between taxation, wage requirements, new OpEx that wasn’t there in 1939 (and that’s ignoring that Gore-tex wasnt even around in 1939)
Hey, Happy Birthday!
I came to Maine for my first visit in 1986, and was totally blown away. It took me another 5 years, but finally moved here permanently. I still love it.
Tony, I also like to check the values when I see the sweet bargains from the days of yore. The method I like to use may be a little different, in that I use the melt value of the coins that would have been used. There is a calculator at coinflation.com. In this case, the melt value for 19 quarters and one dime it took to buy the 10 inchers is 76.42. The price for the uninsulated 10 inchers at LLBean.com is 90.00.
What interested me is the fact that they offered the boot in an 18 inch model. I have the 16″, and I love them, but I’m 6’2″, and I would really like some in 20″, even 18 would be cool.
Great post, have fun on your trip!
MW, we’re definitely going to need these boots today. It’s crazy,there’s a sh*t load of important people out there that share the Oct 1st birthday, happy bday to us.
I love that style of boot, though being a Montana native I go with the [URL=”http://www.schnees.com/category/made-by-schnees”]Schnee’s Boots[/URL] version. It has a bit more of a western feel with the same classic lines and yes, made in Bozeman, MT. This summer during an especially wet season on the Sweet Grass Ranch they were absolutely indispensable.
Enjoy Maine.
Happy Birthday Michael. Make it great!
Today is my birthday as well! Happy Birthday to the both of us!
Thanks for the birthday wishes. The actual day is tomorrow, but better early than late i suppose.
MW
Happy Birthday! Have fun in Maine. Go to Camden, go to Scott’s Place (It’s a little hamburger stand in the Parking lot of Reny’s as you drive in to town on Route 1) and get a Cheeseburger with a side of cheeseburger. Love in a paper bag.
If I could go back in time, the first thing I’d buy is a shedload of clothes.
Then I’d buy some Berkshire Hathaway stock.
Happy Birthday Michael.
Happy b-day, man.
Aside from the boots themselves it’s also incredible how influential and prevalent this style of graphic design is today.
I’m from Maine about 25 minutes south of Freeport, every year its a religious pilgrimage for me to go buy another pair of Bean boots…They are like crack for feet…Instantly Addictive