I think I must have purchased four pounds of penny-candy at Gordon’s Five and Dime in Depot Town and paid less than two dollars. I have a feeling they pay their rent with rolls of change.

I also bought a 45 for only forty-five cents. I tried to tell her that she wasn’t charging enough for them, so she promptly charged me a dollar. It was a recorded message that a serviceman was sending home to his parents. It was made on November 3, 1945. It’s meant to be played at 78 rpm, which just happens to be the Victory speed.

What surprises me is that Mr. and Mrs. Sam Gerstein of Detroit would sell something so precious. But I guess if my own mother could sell my baby teeth on eBay, then there’s no doubt a soldier’s message to mom would one day wind up for sale one day.