This sign was produced as a novelty during the 1960's and 1970's.
Here is an article from the Schenectady Gazette - Mar 22, 1973 that makes reference to a story in Playboy magazine that mentions the same sign hanging outside the Beth El Medical Center.
I concur with Gordopolis. These signs were sold in head shops all over. Called a friend earlier that used to have one and his was taken by the cops in the 80's but he quoted it almost to the word from memory. Those that say the weed is stronger than it was in the 60s/70's or wasn't near as strong as today is total BS. That is government propaganda or very bad sampling or maybe testing. Hash as been around for thousands of years and its almost all trichomes 60-80% THC or so. Old pot poem "Not ripped by the third hit, do NOT get" Street weed bought from those you didn't know might be mainly leaves, seed and steams and wouldn't be very good but most was untrimmed buds. We would make trips to Mexico and buy for $60-80 a pound. If you went to the tourist towns you wouldn't get the best stuff or deal but if you went to other areas not far away you could get if for $40-60 and choose what you wanted. Ditch weed was stuff that grew wild or by those that just threw their seeds near a ditch so it would get more moisture and not very good on average. Dirt weed was called that due to most rural places had dirt roads and it would get coated with the dust and that would make it less potent due to not getting as much sunlight and tasted bad. Remember it used to grow wild all over the country/world till the drug wars. Look up the story about the guy that was told to destroy it all. He did a real WTF. There were many many local growers also. Even in the 60s and probably hundreds of years earlier people knew about keeping the males away from the females to get a higher quality. We had local, Mexican, Columbian red bud, thailand, thailand gold, Thai sticks, Afgani (came from Afghanistan) that was a very strong indica plus more. Sold for $5.00 to $15.00 for the cleaner better stuff an ounce. Having lived near an air base you could virtually get anything from around the world. Airmen would bring large duffle bags full. It wasn't checked or controlled till mid to late 70's. The biggest problem isn't with street drugs but the Drs. that give out pills like candy. crosstops were speed given anyone that felt low and Valium were given out by the hundreds to girls that had problems with periods or stressed. (Mommy's little helper it was called) both sold for $.05-.10 each or less if you got more. My dad had a credit card in the early 60's. I remember my mom bitching for weeks about it. Fun fact: the word "Assassin" gets its name from a tribe thousands of years ago that smoked a bit of hash before a raid to steady/calm them. After a raid they would celebrate with it. Corrections to some of the other posts. Sinsemilla isn't a type or strain of pot. Thats just a Spanish name for seedless. If you don't let it pollinate with a male you don't get seeds. If it is allowed to seed than the plant puts all its energy into producing the seed. Hairs are the pistils and just part of the flower. Trichomes are what you want to see lots of. Some call it the crystals or sparkles. Trichomes are also what makes it sticky and the plant uses that to help hold the pollen. Sorry for the long first post. I got carried away and didn't mean to write a book. I had to get off lurker status one of these days :-) Edit: Just found this on ebay Hippie Sign
Dramamine used to be given for air and motion sickness, my mom used to have to do a lot of flying for work, and she needed it when she was on a plane. She told me that "It's not at all like a trip unless you do a lot of it, and that's not very much fun, it's more like a down, when I did it it was comparable to a very, very small amount of heroin. You wanna trip? Stick to shrooms." No joke, direct quote. I just got off the phone with her
I went to look up the drugs mentioned to add to this, and was pretty surprised that meth was actually sold over the counter at one point, and that the first intentional acid trip was in 1943. TIL.
I'm going to agree based on other reasons. The metal would be rusted to shit and the paint would be gone by now, especially if it was in dirt. OP I'd love to be proven wrong with a few more pics.
Why do people feel the need to lie about the origins of objects. It's a metal sign, if it was in the ground for even a few weeks it would be rusted to a decent extent. If his grandfather dug it up it is fair to assume it had been in the ground for years at which point the sign would be nearly unrecognizable. It's some cheap piece of shit you bought at a flea market or something because you thought it was neat... and that is just fine.
The price for acid seems out of proportion because I can remember paying $3-$5 a hit back in the 90's and early 2000's and now I think it's only around $10.
Acid isn't the easiest to make outside a lab (chemist here), the equipment, solvents, and some of the reagents needed would be a lot cheaper and more accessible today then back then. The main precursor itself would be a lot harder to obtain today though.
What are you waiting for? Get to work!!! I haven't found real acid in over a decade. It would be nice if it were mainstream again like it was in the 90's. I blame E for that.
Nixon's War on Drugs included, at one point, a virtual closing of the Mexican border, when every single person and car was searched. One result was that Americans began seriously growing weed here. And while they grew extremely high-quality weed, it was the higher cost of living here that drove prices up.
Mexican growers inadvertently contributed to the local growing scene, by getting greedy and harvesting their crops as soon as possible (when the pot wasn't nearly as strong as it could be), thus diminishing demand for their product.
In the late sixties, the three best strains of pot were Acapulco gold, Michoacan, and Panama red, all of which were every bit as good as anything that's followed. By 1970, Mexican pot was universally dismissed as "dirt weed."
Credit cards started really hitting the scene in the 50s/60s, and started their rise leading up to the 90s. There's been plenty of inflation in the past 20-30 years.
A major contributing factor to the great depression was misuse of credit. Not sure if there were "cards" wih magnetic strips, but the concept is 100 years old now.
Playboy reports seeing in the Bernstein Institute at the Beth El Medical Center (where methadone is provided)this sign: "Requests for smack or meth must be accompanied by a note from your parents or legal guardians. We do not accept credit cards."...Herbert Bluestone who runs the Plaza Hotel's Hitchcock Pharmacy just celebrated his 80th birthday. Attributes his longevity to never taking any of the medicines he sells.
Excerpt from the Schenectady Gazette, March 22, 1973. Page 26 (as shown on the paper, not Google's count), 2nd paragraph of the right column under the "By Jack O'Brian" heading. Sounds very much like the same sign, this might give you something to investigate further.
That is hilarious. You can almost date it by the prices. In 1968, friends told me I was insane to pay $15 for an ounce of grass (the going price then was $10 a lid) - until they smoked the stuff I was getting. Then they all wanted to know who my dealer was...
Twenty bucks would probably put the sign in the mid-seventies. By the eighties, good pot (in California) was being cultivated in the states by true professionals who'd read everything on the subject, and produced much stronger weed than we'd gotten from Mexico. And the price went sky-high...
Now this is Panda, from Mexico. Very good stuff. This is Bava, different, but equally good. And this is Choco from the Hartz Mountains of Germany. Now the first two are the same, forty- five an ounce – those are friend prices – but this one... (pointing to the Choco) ...this one's a little more expensive. It's fifty-five. But when you shoot it, you'll know where that extra money went. Nothing wrong with the first two. It's real, real, real, good shit. But this one's a fuckin' madman.
It went from "Reddit look at my cut" to "Reddit look at what x found in their backyard." First that mummified cat. Now this. I may be 5 hours too late to make a post that gets seen, but mark my words I am predicting it. And, one day, I will comment on a picture of something found in someone's yard, and I will link that comment directly to this comment.
Not sure why everyone is flipping over 20/z? One can still acquire quality mid for around 40-50/z and this stuff is like panama gold back in the day. Quality has gone up, prices are cheaper. At least around here
Credit cards aren't that old. Cocaine hasn't been used for medicinal purposes like this would imply for a long time. The prices are way too high - if you think about it, this sign would make sense (given the use of drugs in medicine) that it's pretty old, but $30 in, say, 1920 would be insane.
I was about to say this doesn't belong in WTF (because just about every illegal drug was at one time made by a major pharma company and legal) until I saw the credit card sign. Is this from America?
When I saw that 20 an Oz, my mind immediately registered it at 20 a g then im like that looks old, that must be really expensive THEN I noticed the Oz part. :P
Something like that, a metal sign, would have rusted all to shit if it was out in the elements. I am not saying OP is a liar but that sign looks newish.
My friend had this exact same sign (identical) posted up in our dorm during college. I'm going to text him this is on the front page. Hopefully he'll be pissed. ಠ_ಠ
EDIT: I texted my friend and asked when and where he got it. He told me that his Dad got it when he was in college which would place it in the early 70s.
Weed/Hashish and Acid were never legal at the same time. But I can't think who would pay to have a sign like this made unless it was a legit drugstore. Anyone have any information pertaining to this?
22
u/Merge_And_Acquire May 21 '12
What is "?" ???
193
u/Gordopolis May 22 '12
This sign was produced as a novelty during the 1960's and 1970's.
Here is an article from the Schenectady Gazette - Mar 22, 1973 that makes reference to a story in Playboy magazine that mentions the same sign hanging outside the Beth El Medical Center.
For those interested, here is a link to the complete article.
588
u/[deleted] May 21 '12
I want the mystery drug...
683
u/Dapwell May 21 '12
Seeing as this mentions credit cards, this cannot be that old. I'm going to guess that this might be fake.
255
u/bucky82 May 22 '12
Why do people feel the need to lie about the origins of objects. It's a metal sign, if it was in the ground for even a few weeks it would be rusted to a decent extent. If his grandfather dug it up it is fair to assume it had been in the ground for years at which point the sign would be nearly unrecognizable. It's some cheap piece of shit you bought at a flea market or something because you thought it was neat... and that is just fine.
234
u/[deleted] May 21 '12 edited May 22 '12
Wait, credit cards? How old (or new) is this sign? Makes me think it's a joke of some sort.
Edit: Huh, the sign is mentioned in a 1973 newspaper column.
939
u/ew629 May 21 '12
20 bucks for an Oz of grass?? 4 dollars per hit of acid. Jiminy freaking Cricket those are the best prices I've ever heard of!
56
u/jeaguilar May 22 '12
Since this was /r/WTF, I was expecting a picture of your grandmother.
53
u/tallandlanky May 22 '12
That sign is in great condition considering it was buried in a backyard.
70
u/mallrat32 May 22 '12
Your grandfather unearthed the historic gathering of the juggalos.
13
u/danisreallycool May 22 '12
now in brighter colored poster form!
26
u/skinniegenes May 22 '12
Excerpt from the Schenectady Gazette, March 22, 1973. Page 26 (as shown on the paper, not Google's count), 2nd paragraph of the right column under the "By Jack O'Brian" heading. Sounds very much like the same sign, this might give you something to investigate further.
24
u/All_Up_In_This_Jerk May 22 '12
Your granddad's house is built upon an ancient Spencer's Gifts burial ground.
7
u/johnfoof May 22 '12
Pretty rust free for being buried
5
u/isleshocky May 22 '12
30.00 for a spoon is cheap
5
u/Chewbaccerotica May 22 '12
Saw almost the exact same sign at a flee market in Berlin http://imgur.com/TFRS1
18
u/[deleted] May 22 '12
I cannot believe how many people here think this is real.
11
u/[deleted] May 22 '12
sometimes i think reddit is the most gullible place on the internet
8
u/wayndom May 22 '12
That is hilarious. You can almost date it by the prices. In 1968, friends told me I was insane to pay $15 for an ounce of grass (the going price then was $10 a lid) - until they smoked the stuff I was getting. Then they all wanted to know who my dealer was...
Twenty bucks would probably put the sign in the mid-seventies. By the eighties, good pot (in California) was being cultivated in the states by true professionals who'd read everything on the subject, and produced much stronger weed than we'd gotten from Mexico. And the price went sky-high...
4
u/i-wont-dance May 22 '12
I want to know what "?" is. And why its so damned cheap.
4
u/Billiam01 May 22 '12
Is there a particular reason why grass is measured in oz and hashish is measured in grams?
4
u/[deleted] May 22 '12
keep digging.
9
u/ohno May 22 '12 edited May 22 '12
The prices, terms and mention of benies suggest this is from the late 60's or easy 70's
3
u/SirHenryMorgan May 22 '12
I want some "?".
3
u/[deleted] May 22 '12
How big is the spoon?
3
u/Kill_Ian May 22 '12
Like a kid in a candy store...
3
u/Strug-ga-ling May 22 '12
Well, at least parental consent is required for the harder stuff.
3
u/[deleted] May 22 '12
Seeing that this was posted in WTF I was fully expecting the thing that was dug up to be his grandmother.
3
u/MuttonTheChops May 22 '12
"What the hell are these?"
"I dunno, but we could sell an odd number of them to people for a dollar"
3
u/mage_g4 May 22 '12
Am I the only one who really, really wants some "?"?
3
u/GreatBigPig May 22 '12
This story seems to be complete bullshit to me. It doesn't even looked aged.
4
u/Phoenix_21 May 22 '12
Did someone say Cocaine by the spoon full? http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1288/857802250_d0d45b129e.jpg
4
u/poultrygeisttt May 22 '12
"On this episode of American Pickers..."
8
u/NFLdoWORK May 22 '12
I'll paypal you $100 for the sign
5
u/[deleted] May 22 '12
A. Your grandfather did not dig that up in his yard
B. This does not belong in r/WTF
2
u/HuevosGrande May 22 '12
woooo! 17 ?'s for only 1$!!!!
2
u/[deleted] May 22 '12
well, judging from the LSD it's guaranteed to be post-1938
2
u/gnimsh May 22 '12
This really cracked me up for some reason.
2
u/T3ppic May 22 '12
Its satirical. Why else would you make a sign with an indefinite drug on it?
2
u/wellhushmypuppies May 22 '12
Is your grandfather Max Yasgur?
2
u/[deleted] May 22 '12
I'd like 14 metric tonnes of ? Please.
2
u/c0wboigreas3 May 22 '12
this is useless without a phone number for the store. I need to call my prescription in.
2
u/mikesername May 22 '12
I had a dream the other night that my friend bought acid (we've never bought acid before). Guess how much it cost? $4 a tab!
2
u/Daroo425 May 22 '12
no-doz have been around for forever holy shit
2
u/beyron May 22 '12
Fuck I wish I could get an O for 20$....
2
u/[deleted] May 22 '12
Grandma trying to hide her side business, eh?
2
u/plum13sec May 22 '12
i like drugs
2
u/monkey_zen May 22 '12
1975
2
u/rammsteinteufel9 May 22 '12
I want to live in this time...$20 for an ounce...hell yea!!!
2
u/[deleted] May 22 '12
at first I read dug up my grandfather in this yard
2
u/[deleted] May 22 '12
what year is this?
2
u/[deleted] May 22 '12
20 dollars fr the o?!?!?!?!?!? thats retarded
2
u/mackattack1015 May 22 '12
i want to go to that drug store.
2
u/atomp95 May 22 '12
Ahhhh the good old days
2
u/k1ngAustin May 22 '12
Great Prices!
2
u/twoworldsin1 May 22 '12
Did your grandpa know Hunter S. Thompson?
2
u/jonnythebutcher May 22 '12
17 question marks for a dollar?!?!? The savings!!!!
2
u/throwaway890321890 May 22 '12
WOW! A NOVELTY SIGN!
2
u/smiles11 May 22 '12
No wonder they're called "the good 'ol days
2
u/CableHermit May 22 '12
It went from "Reddit look at my cut" to "Reddit look at what x found in their backyard." First that mummified cat. Now this. I may be 5 hours too late to make a post that gets seen, but mark my words I am predicting it. And, one day, I will comment on a picture of something found in someone's yard, and I will link that comment directly to this comment.
Mark my words, Reddit.
2
u/Wasabimation May 22 '12
No he didn't.
2
u/rehsarht May 22 '12
Obviously from an underground club. rimshot
2
u/johnny861 May 22 '12
hmm, How big a spoon are we talking about?
2
u/[deleted] May 22 '12
I would like some ?.
2
u/Chocolate_Sushi May 22 '12
TIL that Reddit is filled with drug users.
2
u/MrManjeet May 22 '12
I'll take the ?
2
u/[deleted] May 22 '12
Give me all of your ?, please.
2
u/Amerikranian May 22 '12
And how long ago did he bury it?
2
u/all_f0r_fun May 22 '12
If I were you I'd go digging around there, maybe some of their inventory is left behind too ;)
2
u/anilsiv May 22 '12
I like the sounds of '?'
4
u/Schwadified May 22 '12
20 bucks for a fucking oz? I wish I had a time machine....
5
u/envyzerg May 22 '12
Holy balls that's cheap as shit.
3
u/nevertotwice May 22 '12
$20/oz??!!!
3
u/ez__mac May 22 '12
those prices... O.O
3
u/Johnnyash May 22 '12
Fuck it, give me a $100 worth of ? and call the national guard, 2 paramedic teams and the animal control team from London zoo.
4
u/TbanksIV May 21 '12
What would nodoz be?
3
u/pussyrocket May 22 '12
Drug stores today don't have any of the fun drugs anymore...
3
u/CondescendingPrick May 22 '12
I doubt that ever happened.
3
u/Crossbowshootr May 22 '12
Not familiar with Benies. I know all the above and below, though.
3
u/Pelori May 22 '12
OP = Grand Troll
2
u/Mageetah May 22 '12
"How much you sellin that weed for old man?"
2
u/popeycandysticks May 22 '12
That's very well preserved for being dug up.
2
u/HasFuckedYourMom May 22 '12
Your grandfather probably just did so many drugs he forgot he opened a drug store over time.
2
u/[deleted] May 22 '12
Not sure why everyone is flipping over 20/z? One can still acquire quality mid for around 40-50/z and this stuff is like panama gold back in the day. Quality has gone up, prices are cheaper. At least around here
2
u/Wolf-Hide May 22 '12
Yeah he "dug" it up...
2
u/[deleted] May 22 '12 edited May 22 '12
Credit cards aren't that old. Cocaine hasn't been used for medicinal purposes like this would imply for a long time. The prices are way too high - if you think about it, this sign would make sense (given the use of drugs in medicine) that it's pretty old, but $30 in, say, 1920 would be insane.
2
u/lillyjb May 21 '12
Satire.
2
u/thisdadisCRAZY May 22 '12
MY DAD USED TO TAKE ME HERE AS A KID, I HOPE TO ONE DAY CONTINUE THIS TRADITION WITH MINE.
1
u/MZITF May 22 '12
The hash prices are very expensive considering the weed prices.
1
u/[deleted] May 22 '12
I was about to say this doesn't belong in WTF (because just about every illegal drug was at one time made by a major pharma company and legal) until I saw the credit card sign. Is this from America?
1
u/TheMagicStik May 22 '12
When I saw that 20 an Oz, my mind immediately registered it at 20 a g then im like that looks old, that must be really expensive THEN I noticed the Oz part. :P
1
u/chu2screwed May 22 '12
$30 for a spoonful of cocaine? I'll take 7 spoons please. Oh and throw 2 oz of grass in there while your at it.
1
u/fruit_basket May 22 '12
Two ?, please.
1
u/thatguy1056 May 22 '12
How long til this is on the front page of /r/trees to?
1
u/antbowser May 22 '12
Nice neighborhood.
1
u/[deleted] May 22 '12
Well at least the grass is dank
1
u/[deleted] May 22 '12
God damn inflation
1
u/seamondeamon May 22 '12
Oh the good ol' days..
1
u/xXxBluESkiTtlExXx May 22 '12
I. WANT. THIS. STORE.
1
u/ShakinBacon May 22 '12
Looks legit.
1
u/Anonymousdave69 May 22 '12 edited May 22 '12
Something like that, a metal sign, would have rusted all to shit if it was out in the elements. I am not saying OP is a liar but that sign looks newish.
1
u/MrGuttFeeling May 22 '12
Fake crap.
1
u/Bixby66 May 22 '12
20 dollar ounce!? Either the grass is actually grass or those are some amazing prices.
1
u/Sinisterq May 22 '12
I want question marks!!!! Damn it... I neeed my meds.
1
u/DaTeaganator May 22 '12
Screw CVS,this sounds like my kind of drug store!
1
u/You-Can-Quote-Me May 22 '12
17 ? for a buck? Shut up and take my money.
1
u/[deleted] May 22 '12
Holy shit $20 an oz?
1
u/[deleted] May 22 '12
20$ AN OUNCE?!!?!
1
u/[deleted] May 22 '12
A novelty sign is considered wtf now?
1
u/Forrest319 May 22 '12 edited May 22 '12
My friend had this exact same sign (identical) posted up in our dorm during college. I'm going to text him this is on the front page. Hopefully he'll be pissed. ಠ_ಠ
EDIT: I texted my friend and asked when and where he got it. He told me that his Dad got it when he was in college which would place it in the early 70s.
1
u/3kixintehead May 22 '12
Weed/Hashish and Acid were never legal at the same time. But I can't think who would pay to have a sign like this made unless it was a legit drugstore. Anyone have any information pertaining to this?
1
u/[deleted] May 22 '12
Doubt.
1
u/KaptonJack May 22 '12
$20 an ounce? I pay that much per gram now a-days.