Skip to main content

The 1960s: Do you remember Limes Jewelry?

Lead Summary
By
Steve Roush-
Ladies and gentlemen, we’re back in the ’60s in uptown Hillsboro, and gee whiz, I’m having a heck of a time keeping track of the time.

It’s probably been 15 years since I’ve worn a wristwatch, and the cell phone might stick out in the 1960s, so let’s drive the Studebaker up West Main Street and shop for watches at C.W. Limes Jewelry.

While prices of a lot of items we’ve perused in previous offerings seem “inexpensive” compared to prices of today, wristwatches, to me, seem rather pricey.

OK, here’s a Longines Olympian Automatic watch on sale for $105. Remember, we bought two pounds of ground beef for 69 cents over at Albers. Bulova watches are more affordable – and we can pay “as little as $1 a week” to pay it off. The newspaper advertisement says “Bulova means quality … quality watches you can give with pride or wear with pride because they’re made with pride by Bulova craftsmen.” These watches, which are tested and certified waterproof, range from $35.75 to $59.50, plus tax. If that’s still too much, Benrus watches are sold for $24.73, and “C.W. Limes won’t be undersold on these famous watches!” the ad says.

Let’s see what else they have here at C.W. Limes Jewelry. Diamond rings are priced from $39.50 to $1,500 (now that seems to be a fine deal), William Rogers silverware serving for eight is $19.95, coffee-tea service sets run from $29.50 to $500, a place plate is $7.95 and an Elgin Banjo Clock (which runs one year on a flashlight battery) is $29.95. (Take a look at eBay and see how much Elgin clocks go for online.)

Speaking of rings, Limes has Feature Flex rings that expands over your knuckle and contract for a perfect fit. It’s “the ring you’ve waited for,” as engagement rings are $120 and wedding rings are $15. I wonder if they still make those…

C.W. Limes Jewelry also has hundreds of other quality items, but I just remembered that Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas,” starring Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney and Vera Ellen is currently playing over at the Colony and the clock is ticking, so let’s pause for now and we’ll continue next time.

Steve Roush is vice chairman of the Highland County Historical Society Board of Trustees, a vice president of an international media company and a columnist and contributing writer for The Highland County Press. He can be reached by email at roush_steve@msn.com.

Add new comment

This is not for publication.
This is not for publication.

Plain text

  • No HTML tags allowed.
  • Lines and paragraphs break automatically.
  • Web page addresses and email addresses turn into links automatically.
Article comments are not posted immediately to the Web site. Each submission must be approved by the Web site editor, who may edit content for appropriateness. There may be a delay of 24-48 hours for any submission while the web site editor reviews and approves it. Note: All information on this form is required. Your telephone number and email address is for our use only, and will not be attached to your comment.