Sears & Roebuck, JC Penneys & Montgomery Wards

[Sam Miller III]

Sears & Roebuck, JC Penney's & Montgomery Wards as they were originally known were catalog retailers and are now know as Sears, & Penney's. Wards (Montgomery Wards has ceased to exist.)

These three companies were national in scope and all marketed SCUBA related items in their catalogs as follows :
Sears from Spring 1956 to Spring 1964
Penny's from Spring &Summer 1971 to Spring &Summer 1974
Wards from Spring &Summer 1956 to Spring &Summer 1965.

The diving equipment marketed by these three Giants of American retailers was generally manufactured in the US and on occasion rebranded with the respective company names. However, several years for some unknown reason foreign imports were also marketed

During that era Skin Diver Magazine published two separate listing of all "dive Shops in the US"
The May 1958 issue the January 1963 issue listed all known dive shops in the US. As would be expected California dominated the listing followed by the larger US metropolitan areas

~~~Both covers had a picture of a "Club Blanket" containing all the club patches of that era which had been displayed in SDM office.. What a treasure of that era Unfortunately when SDM was sold the new owners did not recognize its place in history and gave it a toss Now only the covers remain as a reminder of what once was~~~

So the question is:
Did any one on this board ever purchase mail order SCUBA and related items from Sears, & Penney's. or Wards? (or off the floor at a retail store)

If so What?

When?

Thank You,

Sam Miller,III

 

[wedivebc]

Sears & Roebuck, JC Penney's & Montgomery Wards as they were originally known were catalog retailers and are now know as Sears, & Penney's. Wards (Montgomery Wards has ceased to exist.)

These three companies were national in scope and all marketed SCUBA related items in their catalogs as follows :
Sears from Spring 1956 to Spring 1964
Penny's from Spring &Summer 1971 to Spring &Summer 1974
Wards from Spring &Summer 1956 to Spring &Summer 1965.

The diving equipment marketed by these three Giants of American retailers was generally manufactured in the US and on occasion rebranded with the respective company names. However, several years for some unknown reason foreign imports were also marketed

During that era Skin Diver Magazine published two separate listing of all "dive Shops in the US"
The May 1958 issue the January 1963 issue listed all known dive shops in the US. As would be expected California dominated the listing followed by the larger US metropolitan areas

~~~Both covers had a picture of a "Club Blanket" containing all the club patches of that era which had been displayed in SDM office.. What a treasure of that era Unfortunately when SDM was sold the new owners did not recognize its place in history and gave it a toss Now only the covers remain as a reminder of what once was~~~

So the question is:
Did any one on this board ever purchase mail order SCUBA and related items from Sears, & Penney's. or Wards? (or off the floor at a retail store)

If so What?

When?

Thank You,

Sam Miller,III

When I was about 6 or 7 my Dad bought me a snorkel that looked like a set of double on your back and had a double hose. It was sold at Canadian Tire. I felt like Mike Nelson but he wouldn't buy me the knife.

 

[Bob DBF]

IN 1962 my dad bought a SCUBA rig from Sears. It consisted of a steel 72, Voit tank pressure gauge (surface check only), Nemrod Snark III double hose reg, and Nemrod Mae West. I still have everything but the tank, and all of it works except the Mae West, is well used and I wouldn't trust it, even if it fit.

It came with an instruction manual and a pamphlet on how to dive. My dad picked up a copy of The New Science of Skin and SCUBA Diving, the premiere text on diving at the time, and taught himself how to dive. At my insistence, he finally relented and taught me how to dive. He must have done OK as I never had a complaint from any mentor or instructor about my basic SCUBA training and skill. It held up until a c-card was required for air and I was away from my regular sources.

When asked about my training, I just refered to it as Dad's SCUBA and Auto Repair School.

We already had fins, mask and, snorkel for some time and SCUBA was a way to extend bottom time. I remember putting the gear in the car to go get a fill and dive, as I leave he hollars at me "don't f' up the car".

After my dad died, my mom dug out the regulator, tank gauge, and Mae West and gave them to me, I had no idea they were still around. He was a stickler for taking care of equipment so I found it ready to dive. Thanks to VDH and vintage divers on this board I keep it running. I still dive it a couple of times a year and it still works down to 130' or so. I still use the tank checker on my 72's and LP tanks, and it is as acurate as my other checker I use on the HP tanks.



Bob

 

[EastEndDiver]

I had purchased from "Richards Aqualung" (Times Square NYC) in the mid 60's and continued buying there into the 70's/80's.Arnie Post and his brother were interesting characters from that era.

Skin Diving History - Richards Aqualung Center No.9 - Mfg & Retailers

Skin Diving History - Richards Aqualung Center No.33 - Mfg & Retailers

 

[Charles2]

I certainly don't have any of my old equipment (shown in my avatar), but I do remember saving my pennies and mail ordering everything. I remember the Sears catalogs with the gear, but if I remember correctly, all my buddies and I mail ordered everything from New England Divers.

 

[Wookie]

Not me, as I am a modern diver, but my uncle bought all of his equipment through a catalog, although I don't know which one. He didn;t bother with lessons. He was 16, this was in 1965. Took all of his gear to Town Landing in Falmouth, Maine, walked to the end of the dock, put it on, and promptly sunk straight to the bottom. He did walk back out before he ran out of gas.

 

[Akimbo]

Does this bring back memories, wow. I never bought any gear because I was too young but lusted over the Sears Catalog SCUBA pages for hours on end. I blame Mike Nelson for it.

I dug this out of a childhood scrapbook... not sure what year it was but @Sam Miller III could probably tell me.

 

[Wookie]

^^^^ I love how the regulators were 'lungs', I'm sure after the "aqua-lung".

 

[TONY CHANEY]

thanks Akimbo. I remember seeing ads like this. Got to love E: mask with dual snorkels

 

[BeijaFlor]

Those snorkels with the ping-pong ball valves were all the rage, weren't they?

I did get a Voit "007" snorkeling set with full-foot fins, a mask, and an "007" snorkel with a squirt-gun built in.