From one of the first Stanley catalogues to one of the last, the envelope of material that came with my Amsler no. 5 planimeter included a rare price list dated February 1976. This five-page typewritten document represents all that was left of Stanley’s product range after two successive acquisitions, first by Clarke & Smith Industries in 1965 followed by the Sime Darby Group in 1975 (whose logo appears on the accompanying compliments slip).
Somehow the company managed to limp on until 1999 when it finally went into liquidation, but this price list is the latest source I am aware of, postdating the last full catalogue that was apparently issued in 1966 shortly after the first takeover. As such, it provides a valuable insight into the demise of the once-mighty Stanley empire, as well as a final snapshot of the analogue instruments that were to be swept aside by the technological changes already underway.
By 1976, drawing instruments seem to have fallen by the wayside, leaving the product range focused on surveying equipment, drafting machines, planimeters and a handful of specialist instruments. While some of the more expensive items such as theodolites and integrators are “price on application” only, the relative cost of different instruments is revealing. For example, a 36-inch pantograph is £310, almost the same price as their top-of-the-range level.
Surprisingly for 1976, two models of the Fuller cylindrical calculator are still available, priced at £60 and £61.25 each. Incredibly, these were both cheaper than the most basic fixed-index planimeter at £62, yet today the Fuller will sell on ebay for £200+ (even in distressed condition) while the lowly Allbrit planimeter is lucky to get £20.
For anyone interested in seeing the full range, the complete price list has now been uploaded to the Internet Archive.