2 Score And 17 Years Ago, On A Christmas Morning...From Lopo's Camera And Train Store

That's a great find! 

-Greg

Wow, what are the chances that you would find that bill and from so long ago.  That is a great find just as Great said.  I would say you are very lucky to find that and still be able to read it.  Good old carbon paper, will always outlast the newer stuff we have.  Now you can put the receipt in with the train whenever you store it.

Thanks for sharing.

Nice Super O set - Santa did a great job 

If the camera shop was still around, a return attempt would be fun, likely for them to........ Just don't follow thru when they offer that 1960 purchase price

Thanks for the replies!  I had a distinct advantage after receiving that first set, which would cause my mother to roll her eyes and smile when my father and I jointly announced that we were going to Lopo's Camera and Train Shop after dinner, or, on the weekend.  That was because my father was a huge camera buff, both 8mm movie, and 35mm still.  So, I didn't have to do much arm twisting to get him to go to the train store!  He needed camera supplies regularly, and, a place that repaired Cameras. Lopo's was perfect for both of us.  

As to that bill dated Dec. 5, 1960, it also lists:

1 #3672, and,

1 #494.

Another bill, dated, "12-13 1960 lists:

1/2 Dozen Power,

10 Super "O" Track,

1 Book, and,

1 roll wire Lionel.  (I still have some of that wire.  I used to roll it around a pencil so the length would be varied.  The practical result is that the cut wire didn't take up much space, and was saved by my parents with the trains.

Another bill, dated, "9-14 1961" lists

"1 pr. Super O switches", and

1 bulb.

This bill was dated near my birthday, so I suspect the switches were a birthday gift.  I do recall that my first 5' X 9' layout ultimately would have a pair of switches, which I also still have.

As a side note, my best friend in grade school had moved north of the city into a new subdivision about  2 miles north.  I went to spend the weekend before Christmas, 1960  with him and his family.  A few years later, my parents told me that they set up and tested out the train set that weekend, so there would be no operational surprises on Christmas morning.

I'd love to see some pics of the bill and the train set.  Nice find.

Thanks Marty!  Will do, hopefully later today or tomorrow.

Hopefully, the 1960 bill is attached!

That is a cool piece of family history!

Thanks Marty!  I was quite shocked to find these original bills.  In addition to the Super "O" set number, and price, the bill contained Lopo's address in Detroit, which I had not been able to find online.  Interestingly, the bill also shows that Lopo's carried American Flyer and HO, which makes sense, although I didn't remember this. Only one of my friends had an American Flyer layout, and all of my other friends had Lionel.  in this regard around Christmas time, each of us would bring the new Lionel Catalogs to our grade school to study when we had some free time.  Our Cub Scout Pack had an annual Christmas wreath sale, and, each of the top three sellers received Lionel items for their layouts.  As I recall, I "earned" a Lionel missile launching car by being the "Top Seller" one year.  That was a great addition to my trains, and, I was thrilled.

Found a couple receipts in old original boxes. The first was found in a prewar Winner set. The set was bought on 12/23/32. The second was found in the box of a postwar generator car. Receipt and sale sticker. Person got a great deal - 1/2 of the sale price.

Hi Dennis,

I would like to contact you but you don't show an email address. Would you mind sending me your email? 

dennis@brennansmodelrr.com

I love it when the original reciepts and such are with a model.  The history and back stories are priceless to me.  They are what makes the older models that much more special over buying something brand new in todays market.     Mike the Aspie

elvisp posted:

Found a couple receipts in old original boxes. The first was found in a prewar Winner set. The set was bought on 12/23/32. The second was found in the box of a postwar generator car. Receipt and sale sticker. Person got a great deal - 1/2 of the sale price.

Those receipts are really cool!  Thanks for posting them.  I'll have to post the other receipts from Lopo's from 1959 and 1960 that I mentioned!  Although unusual for the times, my mother actually attended business college for a year, and kept meticulous records, which ultimately helped my father, who was a contractor.  She obviously knew how significant those trains had become in my life, and kept those receipts.  She and my father also kept the trains, and returned them to me when my wife and I bought our first house.