When Paul stopped by with his personal collection of MLA yearbooks, going as far back as the 1950s, we thought it would be interesting to take a look at how cottaging costs and values have changed over the years.
This little 1969 ad features a 1928 Ditchburn for sale for $3500. This same boat in premium condition today would be worth upwards of $250,000.
An Electrohome colour tv ad in the 1965 issue of the MLA yearbook puts this cutting-edge entertainment system at just under $500. Today’s state-of-the-art home cinema theatre system can range
anywhere from $50,000 to $2,000,000 — depending on how thrilling cottagers would like their experience to be.
Burnt Island - Purchased in 1938 for $900, this 33-acre property was sold by Paul in 2007 for $7.5 million. Owned by the same family for 68 years, the sale held the record for an island property on Lake Joseph until 2016.
A modest predecessor to the current footprint of today’s big lakes cottages, this 1970s Beaver Lumber building package retailed for $5500, including labour. A comparable building materials package today would be roughly $58,000 without the labour.
The 16-foot runabout featured in this 1963 ad for Greavette would have retailed for around $3000. Today’s performance luxury boats of this size would start at $45,000.
This 7.5 hp Evinrude, would have retailed for around $250. A comparable outboard today would ring in at $2100.
