Pages taken from Argos’ 1976 Catalogue, scanned by Anthony Voz. Look out for:
“After Eight” Gun Carriage (2); “Diesel” style digital watch (4); Calor Electric Vibro-Massager (7); Pifco “Hooverdryer” Hairdryer (8); “Plastic Embedding” (27); Guns (30); “Disco 100″ Home Disco Unit (42); “Sheerlite” Floor Lamp (49); Old Boot Nursery / Novelty Lamp (51); Acrylic Loo Roll Cover (57); “Wishing Well” Nutcracker (66)
…..
Thank you to Donal Scannell, Scott Hather, Tom Murphy and Anthony Voz.
It’s high time for a revival of the After Eight Gun Carriage. I’d always felt that our after dinner chocolates were lacking that “state funeral” feel.
Argos 42 Item 7… LOL.
I’d buy half this stuff now if I could.
ditto…I want that after eight carriage…I remember them…awesome! and table lighters…great big heavy onyx ones…this is a real memory jerker!
Those mustard-coloured cups and saucers (picture 71) – I still use them. I found a box of them in my parents loft and use them most days
This is superb! The oldest catalogue I have – which I picked up personally – is a 1983 Habitat one.
Back on subject… Anyone else remember that Argos were the new face of Green Shield Stamps? Same company, new operating method.
Oh my…. this is why I love the Internet. I’ve just seen the original photo of my ‘BedTed’ – the Argos 26 picture. I got him for Christmas in 1976. My teddy is old and battered, but he’s been with me for all these years and still sits on the bed. He’s lived with me in the UK, NZ and now is living in Melbourne. Amazing to see the original photo…..
Wow! There are some real memory joggers there.
Lots of fun looking at all of the toys I remember playing with or begged my parents to get me for Christmas. And The guns were a big surprise – never knew Argos sold guns.
Brilliant. Thanks for this; I can’t get enough of it! Can the products of the western world please revert (advance) to being along these lines?
wow!
i remember shit like this…but not in a nostalgic way, it just makes me feel old, lol!
thanks so much for sharing xc
@ Cindy. We had the brown set, on the bottom right of page 71. I think there’s a bowl still kicking around somewhere. Never had the After 8 gun carriage, though, but would have loved it.
What a fantastic insight into a Great British institution. This must’ve been about the 6th or 7th Argos catalogue, and the latest one (Spring Summer 2011) is the 75th! These scans of the ’76 catalogue really are a trip down memory lane.
I have a copy of the ’76 catalogue. In really excellent condition.
There are a few people interested….
I also have one from 1979, two from 1980 and one from 1981.
Page 118, second standard lamp in from the left, the one with the onyx bits, I’m looking at one right now in the corner of my living room!
Extremely cool, Miss Romwell
Wow rrp of a dgital watch was £100 in 1976. thats like 2 or 3 hundred pounds in todays money. for a £2 watch wtf? plus calculaters for £50. Amzazing.
Looking over this gave me the same feeling I used to get browsing my mums catalog when I was a kid, wonderful nostalgia for any one over 40, love it!
As an American, I can’t emphasize enough how weird it is to see a 1970s catalog where the stereos don’t have 8-track cartridges sticking out of the front.
I have the Jenny School Doll! She has found her way into by daughters box of barbies now! This has brought back lots of memories! Are you selling your old Argos catalogues Daniel?
OMG. Can’t believe how many times I said ‘I used to have some of those’ and under my breath said ‘I still have some of those.’ FANTASTIC MEMORIES.
I had a tricycle pretty much the same as the blue one with the red seat, I’m thinking mine was a later model since I wouldn’t have had it until around 1985 or 1986. Those hairbrush, mirror and comb sets too, what were they all about? I had one of those when I was little, probably a gift from my gran or something!
Hoovers just aren’t brown enough these days, haha!
wow thse prices i bought an electronic calculater in 1974 cost £100 thats about £500 now
Page 25. Item 15.
I got that for Xmas in 1976. Round my way, I was the goddamn radio boss.
Ahhh! Stock Car Smashup, Airfix Pontoon bridge, Action Man motorcycle combo and Crossfire. I had all of those. Probably saw them in this exact same catalogue and conned my parents out of them by asking ‘Santa’ for them. Seem to remember mum having a Hoover Junior too so she probably conned dad as well.
Whats missing is a Littlewoods catalogue of a similar vintage. With scans of the Lingerie page. phwwwwwaaarrr!
Oh my God indeed. So much exclaiming, so many memories. My Dad used to bring home the office calculator for me to do my homework, until he bought me my very own Decimo Vatman. Naturally the first thing I learned was how to turn it upside down and spell boobies! The Decca Legato tape recorder was my very first, after having lusted after it for months and even doing competitions to win one. Eventually all the hints I dropped, both subtle and not so subtle paid off when I got one for Christmas. I used it to record and edit concerts off the telly and radio when I was a lad, which eventually lead to an audio visual career.
Wot ? No Elizabeth Duke 9ct gold chains and pendants ? Mind you, it was long before Chav-ellerie hit our streets !
Some awesome crap there. Comforting to know that Argos is as awful as it ever was.
I dig the groovy family golfing on page 69. Too funny!
Wow Remember loads of stuff off here from my youth which was in our household… The dome shaped hoover made by hoover,Pans,ornaments furniture etc,amazing trip down memory lane..would love to be able to buy some of them toys now..batmobile at £1.49 wow. Il have 50 of them please,evil kineval stunt bike £7.99 and the six million dollar man at £3.99 which i used to own back in the day with the folding skin on the arm and sights on the back of his head, lost it like loads of other kids..they are now on ebay for £150plus…if i knew then what i know know eh.
Oh the Ronson hairdryer with the inflatable hat – that takes me back! Argos should consider a “retro range”.
Average wage these days is £26000 and it was £3700 in 1976, so I guess you can multiply these catalogue prices by at least x7 Wow!!! Love this font by-the-way.
Man! The fidelity record player! I saved up for ages, working on an “Express Dairies” milk round Saturdays and holidays to get that little baby! And look how much it was!!! Brought back loads of memories. Thanks Anthony!!
So many memories. So many exclamations of ‘I had that’ or ‘we had that in our house’! Fab!!
Amazing how much things have changed over time. The prices made me cry a little inside. And look at those flowery pots! My grandmother had a set of those.
Brilliant find. I am seriously desirous of that Sheerlite Floor Lamp!
Wow prices have really changed, I guess with inflation it really evens out but wow so many memories brought back from my grand parents house.
Nostalgia and great memories on every page. Brilliant.
Brilliant stuff. Loving the old cameras and hi-fi gear, but the thought of Argos flogging firearms from collection point B is terrifying!
Fantastic.. nice to look back in time! on the radio page, i still have the ulta radio cassette at £42.95 and it still works!! thanks for posting this up…