PENNIES BOUGHT A WATCH

bulovawatch

Many milk customers paid for their milk daily or weekly by leaving coins inside the empty bottles they were returning.  The coins were rolled in a special paper provided by the bank.  Rolling the coins became another of my jobs.  For my work in the milk house, I received all of the pennies. There were 50 pennies in a roll.

Most of my money went toward the purchase of Series E. U.S. Savings Bonds.   These  bonds cost $18.75.  They matured after ten years and paid $25.00.  Children could buy savings stamps at school for a dime each.  The stamps were placed in a “stamp book” until there was enough to buy a bond.

I wanted a wrist watch and asked to buy one with some of my money.  Dad was agreeable, but Mother felt it should not be permitted with a war going on.  Dad persuaded her that I had earned the money “fair and square.”  We shopped carefully at a jewelry stored owned by a milk customer.  A special day came when I proudly walked out of Edwards Jewelry Store in Breckenridge the proud owner of an 18 jewel Bulova watch.  I wore it daily until I was in college.  It was taken to the jewelry store periodically to be cleaned and the band was replaced several times.

I do not remember the price of the watch or the price of milk at that time.  My best guess for the price of milk is approximately 16 cents a quart.

 

Seven year old great- granddaughter, Madi Giffin, is wearing it in the picture.