MS Gripsholm Prepaid Passage Contract - 13 November 1951

Swedish American Line Prepaid Tourist Class Westbound Passage Ticket, Departing from Bremerhaven for New York, Dated 13 November 1951. GGA Image ID # 12ce4cd6ee

Summary of Prepaid Passage Contract

• Date of Purchase / Voyage: 13 November 1951 / 24 February 1952
• Steamship Line: Swedish American Line
• Steamship: MS Gripsholm
• Route: Bremerhaven (Bremen) to New York
• Ticket Type: Prepaid Passage Contract
• Voyage Class: Tourist Class
• Name on Contract: Mrs. Margarete Lenz
• Etnicity of Passenger(s): German
• Contract Terms: Transcribed
• Cost of Ticket: $193.00 / $1,920.00 USD in 2020

Prepaid Passage Contract Details

Prepaid Tourist Class Passage Ticket dated 13 November 1951 for German Immigrant, Departing from Bremerhaven on 24 February 1952 and arriving in New York on 6 March 1962 on the MS Gripsholm of the Swedish American Line. Toral Fare was $193.00 Including $8 Head Tax.

SWEDISH AMERICAN LINE
PURCHASER’S RECEIPT for Westbound Prepaid Orders as mentioned in margin hereof. NOT TRANSFERABLE TO OTHER PERSON

Tourist Class

Place and Date of Issue: Chicago 13 November 1951

Agent: SAL (Swedish American Line)

Prepaid Order From: Bremerhaven

To New York

Name of Passenger: Mrs. Margarete Lenz, Adult Female of Heidelberg, Germany, US Zone.

Connection with Outward Ticket No. EB 258889 ($185.00)

Rate, per Adult: $185.00

Amount Passage Money Paid: $185.00

US Head Tax: $8.00

Total Fare: $193.00

Purchaser: Mr. Gunner S. Anderson of Chicago

Departure from Bremerhaven: 24 February 1952

Arrival in New York: 6 March 1962

Ship: MS Gripsholm

Passenger Information

• First Name :   Margarete
• Last Name :   Lenz
• Place of Birth :   Germany
• Date of Arrival :   6 March 1962
• Age at Arrival :   51
• Gender :   Female
• Ship of Travel :   Gripsholm
• Manifest Line Number :   7

The purchaser should retain this receipt. The original order is being forwarded to the office of the Line nearest to the residence of the intending passenger. If the original order is retained by, or sent direct to the intending passenger, he must immediately upon receipt of same forward it to one of the European offices of the Swedish American Line listed therein. The office of the Line will then acknowledge receipt and forward full information of further requirements. The passengers are expressly cautioned not to leave their homes for embarkation until they have received explicit instructions from the Line to do so.

The original order provides that the Swedish American Line will furnish the person or persons named therein passage as specified or requested, if accommodation is available at the rate paid, subject, however, to the following terms and conditions, all of which are incorporated therein as part thereof:

1. The order must be exchanged for a passage contract and passage will be furnished subject to all the terms, conditions, stipulations, limitations, exceptions and exemptions contained in the form of passage contract which is in use by Swedish American Line at the time when the order is presented for exchange.
2. The passenger must be in possession of a valid passport, duly visaed, or an official document equivalent thereto, and all other documents which may be required by the authorities of the United States of America or Canada, and must be admissible to the United States of America or Canada, in accordance with the laws, rules and regulations applicable to persons seeking admittance to the respective country of destination. Aliens barred from landing in America include persons suffering from loathsome or contagious disease, idiots, insane, invalids or cripples, epileptics, persons likely to become a public charge, professional beggars, those convicted of felony, or other crime or misdemeanor involving moral turpitude, polygamists, anarchists, prostitutes, contract laborers, blind, deaf or dumb, those suffering from Tracoma, Favus, Hernia, Tuberculosis, poor physique, or old age.
3. Additional fare must be paid before embarkation in the following cases:—if passage is desired in a ship for which the rate is higher than that paid for in the order, if a seasonal increase is applicable, if this order is dated prior to a general increase in rates and presented for exchange for a passage contract after such increase becomes effective, or if a passenger named herein is found to be older on the day of sailing than the age limit for which passage has been paid.
4. The order will be honored only if exchanged for a passage contract within one (1) year from the date of issue thereof.
5. While name of class designated herein is subject to alteration, this will not mean any change in accommodation furnished.
6. The Master or Owners will not be responsible for any consequences arising from hostilities or warlike operations between any nations, blockades, embargoes, regulations of any government authority, or any official interference with commercial intercourse. If the ship is detained in consequence of such actions, passengers will be charged for any extra time they are on board.
7. Should the passenger not avail himself of passage as provided in the order, refund may be requested, and will be effected after deduction of commissions earned, cancellation fee, and such expenses and disbursements as may have been incurred in connection with the order.

Relative Cost of Passage Ticket in Today's Currency Value

In 2020, the relative values of $193.00 from 1951 ranges from $1,570.00 to $11,600.00.

A simple Purchasing Power Calculator would say the relative value is $1,920.00. This answer is obtained by multiplying $193 by the percentage increase in the CPI from 1951 to 2020.

This may not be the best answer.

The best measure of the relative value over time depends on if you are interested in comparing the cost or value of a Commodity, Income or Wealth, or a Project.

If you want to compare the value of a $193.00 Commodity in 1951 there are four choices. In 2020 the relative:

• real price of that commodity is $1,920.00
• real value in consumption of that commodity is $3,010.00
• labor value of that commodity is $3,540.00 (using the unskilled wage) or $3,650.00 (using production worker compensation)
• income value of that commodity is $5,430.00
• economic share of that commodity is $11,600.00

If you want to compare the value of a $193.00 Income or Wealth, in 1951 there are five choices. In 2020 the relative:

• real wage or real wealth value of that income or wealth is $1,920.00
• household purchasing power value of that income or wealth is $3,010.00
• relative labor earnings of that commodity are $3,540.00 (using the unskilled wage) or $3,650.00 (using production worker compensation)
• relative income value of that income or wealth is $5,430.00
• relative output value of that income or wealth is $11,600.00

If you want to compare the value of a $193.00 Project in 1951 there are four choices. In 2020 the relative:

• real cost of that project is $1,570.00
• household cost of that project is $3,010.00
• labor cost of that project is $3,540.00 (using the unskilled wage) or $3,650.00 (using production worker compensation)
• relative cost of that project is $5,430.00
• economy cost of that project is $11,600.00

Samuel H. Williamson, "Seven Ways to Compute the Relative Value of a U.S. Dollar Amount, 1790 to present," MeasuringWorth, 2022. URL: www.measuringworth.com/uscompare/