NavList:

Brad,

Yes, I'd found Ronald van Riet's excellent paper in the archive files a while back but I forgot that he included the historical prices. A quick Google search turned up this site:

http://www.history.ucsb.edu/faculty/marcuse/projects/currency.htm#tables

It contains historical currancy conversions. 180DM in 1951 would have been worth $42.86. So, an HR-1 was more expensive but much of that differential must have been driven by the relatively low quantities that were produced as compared the the number of inspection tables being printed. As Mr. van Reit asks in his summary, "Why were the Germans the only ones to adopt a position line slide rule in any numbers in normal service?"

Maybe one more thought is worth bringing into the discussion. Even though just about any sextant is usable for most navigation there is an undeniable pleasure to be found in the use and manipulation of a finely crafted instrument. I've found the same to be true of slide rules - I can enjoy the elegance of design and manufacture which is evident when manipulating one and I don't think I'm alone in that respect. The thought finding position with the combination of two well crafted instruments seems like it would have had a farther reaching appeal.

Chuck Griffiths

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