Change Holders
and Coinstar Change Machine





These things were popular in the 60s and the 70s and I still have mine - it's a blue one like one that pictured here in the middle. 

I chose this object today because most stores in my area don't seems to carry them anymore and I was wondering if that's true to some of you here ever seen them being sold anywhere?

They were great in storing loose change and I keep all my quarters in them and use pennies, nickels, and dimes for purchases and at the end of my shopping days ... I keep all my pennies, nickels, and dimes separately and put them into a big jar and at the end of the year ... I pop them into a Coinstar (see image below) Machine and get a cash voucher from my grocery store and use that for my groceries that day.




I keep my quarters for laundry monies today and still do being in the same condo since 1987.  These machines are still around today and I use it on annual basis and that's like having your own personal bank to get rid of all your pennies, nickels, and dimes.

My question to all of you here ... do you have a change holder and ever had to use a Coinstar Machine to get rid of all your loose change that your Bank won't accept?

Pretty sure I had a Showbiz Pizza logo coin holder.

Wish I still had that baby. But I'm sure it got lost in one of my moves over the years.

I had a number of those change holders over the years, but as with almost everything in this thread, they kind of went out of style and I moved on.

My grocery store still has a Coinstar, but I've never used it. A bank very close to my house will run loose change through their machine and cash you out, whether or not you have an account with them. I save up all of my loose change and take it once a year, then use it at the anniversary sale one of our LCS have, which just happens to be this weekend, so I'll be making a run to the bank in the next couple of days to get some cash for coins (I have estimated I have about $100 saved up over the past year).

Handy Adder





My Mom brought one of these in purpose of going Grocery Shopping and she has a certain budget back then and I've always use this little thing to add up all our groceries and keep track our purchases and make sure that sick to our plans. We used two of them ... One for Groceries and One for our Coupons and I always take care of it for her and that's why I decided to share this little thing to you today.







A couple of cool clips and I've watched both of them yesterday!


It's came out in the 60s and 70's and both Mom and I used them well in the 80s until we stopped using them. It's functionable and easy to use.

The 70s were like most decades, with good and bad; some of the good seemed bad then, but looks better with time and vice versa for some of the good. Network tv was far better, as they were the main competition and it was fierce. CBS had Norman Lear's shows (All in the Family, Jeffersons, Maude, Good Times), and the MTM properties (Bob Newhart, Mary Tyler Moore) and Carol Burnett. ABC had some of the Aaron Spelling cop shows, like The Rookies and SWAT, plus Gary Marshall's stuff (Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley, Mork & Mindy). NBC struggled a bit, here and there, until regaining dominance in the 80s; but, had Saturday Night Live, when it was groundbreaking (not old and tired, as it has been for 20 years or so),shows like Police Woman and Police Story, plus the NBC Mystery Movie line-up (McCloud, McMillan & Wife, Columbo). You had plenty of crap, but that is true of every decade. Saturday Morning was at its peak, though the action shows of the 60s were neutered by the criticisms of violence. That's how you go from the fisticuffs of the Filmation Adventures of Batman to the almost platonic Super Friends battles. However, some animation houses were pretty creative within those limitations. Filmation emphasized story, even as they recycled footage. Hanna-Barber went for laughs and some of their series succeeded. The Krofft shows were pure bizarre; but, entertaining.

Movies underwent big changes. The 70s brought in independent filmmaking and a lot of idiosyncratic voices; then, the advent of the blockbuster, at the end of the decade. It started with cerebral sci-fi, like the Planet of the Apes series and Silent Running, transitioned through Logan's Run, then turned to space opera, with Star Wars, and space horror, with Alien.

Star Trek became a phenomena, thanks to syndication, which allowed a new generation to see the series and fall in love with it, while the Filmation cartoon added some new stories, along with the Ballantine paperbacks. Sports had a tremendous decade, with the ABA bringing excitement to basketball, setting the stage for the more modern NBA, once the ABA teams merged with the NBA. ML Baseball was filled with iconic players, big moustaches and funky afros. Football grew bigger than before, especially with ABC's Monday Night Football. ABC ruled sports broadcasting, with Roone Arledge's team of announcers and color commentators. You had legends like Jim McKay, Keith Jackson, Chris Schenkel and Curt Gowdy (American Sportsman, while broadcasting football, for CBS). ABC had the Olympic broadcasts and had the best coverage, ever. Their focus were on the games and the athletes, as people, not corporate sponsors and athletes, as entertainers or representatives for corporations. The US/Soviet rivalry made for exciting events. They also covered the tragedy of the Munich Massacre, in 1972. That team would be the nucleus of what would become ESPN. You then also had Howard Cosell and Muhammad Ali, and ex-athletes, like Frank Gifford and Don Meredith.

Radio still had variety, as FCC regulations barred monopolies from existing with regions or nationally, creating greater competition in local markets. Stations still, mostly, programmed their own music and, depending on the station, you could have a mix of music genres. i used to hear rock, adult contemporary, disco, pro rock, country and soul on the same radio station. Crossovers to the pop charts were more common. However, record companies ruled the roost and contracts were very one-sided. It was next to impossible to launch a band beyond a local scene, without record company backing. Many top acts were making a pittance, after accounting was done with the profits.

The post-Vietnam recession and the OPEC Oil Embargo decimated the economy, leading to manufacturing declines and the flight to foreign markets. Once thriving cities started to crumble and urbanization increased. US prestige tok massive hits, stemming from the Vietnam War and a series of foreign affair blunders. Political turmoil threw government into disarray, leading to the Carter victory, in 1976; but, his administration proved unable to bring significant change to the situation, setting up the Reagan win in 1980 and birthing the Neo-Conservative movement, which dominated the 80s and 90s and into today (with the even more extreme alt-Right joining in now). Labor fell into disarray, as economic woes undercut their power, aided by corruption within several unions' leadership.

At the same time, landmark court cases and Constitutional Amendments changed the legal landscape. Roe vs Wade upheld the legality of abortions, though didn't settle the moral arguments. It was a major event in women's health issues, though. The 26th Amendment to the Constitution was ratified in 1971, lowering the voting age to 18, in the wake of the Vietnam draft, where an 18 year-old male could be drafted for war; but couldn't vote for or against the people sending them off to war. The draft itself came to an end, thereby eliminating enforced military service. An amnesty was declared fro draft evaders and they were able to return to the United States.

Technology saw the advent of the video game, the home computer, and the expansion of cable and satellite tv and communication. It also saw increased usage of cheaper materials in construction and manufacturing, with planned obsolescence in consumer products taking a firm hold on the market.

Musically, you saw the end of Elvis, the evolution of David Bowie, Glam rock, Prog Rock, Disco, Punk, New Wave (at the very end) and Arena Rock. Country Music saw acts like Dolly Parton come into their own, while the Outlaws, like Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson became big. Tv had numerous musical showcases, from variety shows and talk shows to American bandstand, Soul train, The Midnight Special and Don Kirchner's Rock Concert. Some had mimed performances, some pre-taped, and some live. Talk shows were less about plugging a new project and more about real conversations with legends and up and coming acts.

Lots of stuff going on in the decade.

Comics were pretty good, too.

Drive In Theatre





This is the Drive-In Theatre in the area nearby and now it's used as a Swap Meet for unspecified number of years until its stopped using it in 2004. Torn down in 2005. Saw it being torn down and I was sad to see it go.





Now, the site is torn down and Lowes Home Improvement Center; here's some additional facts about it.


About these things, they bought back many memories as a kid, I watched Wizard of Oz, The Three Stooges, the War Movie ... the Longest Day ... starring John Wayne, Henry Fonda, Sean Connery, and dozen other stars as well. I had a lots of fun going there on a monthly basis with my family and its reality cheap entertainment and all that. The theatre had room for 500 cars and you have to get there a hour before the show starts.

Fun experience for a family to go to and I wished today's kids had that experience too. It was a blast from the past that I had a lots of fun going there.

It's great on Hot Summers Night where you can see the theatre using lawn chairs from home and have a couple of small kids sitting on top of your car hood.

Great Feelings at the Drive In Theatre!

brutalis when you mentioned Billy Jack---oh man, that brought back memories! One of the first movies I can remember watching on TV was Born Losers. When we had one of those disc players (you could rent the discs from a store and have to flip them over halfway through the movie), that was one of the first movies we rented, haha! I remember the other movie or 2 about Billy Jack, but Born Losers is my favorite.

We had a drive in where I grew up. I can remember when the first Superman movie was out and seeing it was showing on the sign. It has been closed for years and was eventually demolished for an apartment complex.