Here is a link to the 2nd ever published LGB catalog from the year 1969/70
http://www.lgb-much.de/Prospekt_1969_70.pdf
The catalog was completely in German but with our previous blogs you should be fine in understanding the descriptions provided. Please note that printing in color was extremely expensive back then. Therefore you will find that part of the catalog was printed in black and white. LGB never listed prices in their catalogs.
From the start LGB drove a twin path; advertise for children and family play time and price for adults. The initial sales price for a starter set was DEM 198.00. That was pretty steep compared to the average weekly wages of roughly DEM 90.00 to 120.00 in 1969 for workers and clerks in Western Germany.
Take a look at page 2 and 4 of the old catalog and see the ad-focus on the child playing with the LGB train and on page 4 the focus on family as well as on the outdoors capability of the LGB trains. Note that is was in full color. This was very expensive to print! And check out the background use of a swimmingpool - the ordinary German had not even easy access to a public swimming-pool in 1969 and had to walk for at least 30 minutes to get to one! Let alone of having one in your own back yard ...that was something for millionaires and entrepreneurs...The LGB 'double standard' was established early on.
Also note the photo scene where the father pours a beverage. See the yellow 'stuff' in the glasses? That shall make the viewer think lemonade, but EVERYONE knew back then that lemonade came in clear bottles and beer was poured from green or brown 1/2 liter bottles (equivalent to 2 1/2 cups). It was a very common activity to have something mechanical serving your beer at parties and this is what this scene is trying to purvey. Remember : beer in Germany was by law considered a food in many states (like Bavaria, and Nuremberg is in Bavaria) and not an alcoholic beverage.
Page 3 - in black and white, the serious color- we are talking rationing and technical information here - emphasizes the gauge, the indoor and outdoor capability ("operates all season long") and is "small enough to find a place in even the smallest apartment" . Remember: the year is 1969, Western Germany is still in recovery from being completely destroyed by the Allies in WW II. Apartments and living space was slowly rebuilt.To have housing for everyone many apartments were limited in space to roughly 700 sqft for a family of 4. Many regions and cities had housing laws that did not allow for living rooms to be bigger than 250sqft to not waste build-able space for others with lesser means. To advertise that you could already operate an LGB set on less than 1.3 square yards was essential - and LGB did.
Wording and photography also emphasized on the combination of technology (precision manufacturing on precision machinery with high quality material (like brass loco wheels and chrome coated parts) and tradition (LGB dates back to 1881 and was famous for their mechanical tin toys).
With that in mind enjoy the 16 pages and if you like to add an old set to your collection, please contact us- we are able to help.
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