Even if none of these things matter to you, how about the fact that the mechanical control would not be easily adapted to handle variable width bread without much more expense?
Who wants a toaster that can't handle thick cut bread or bagels in the 21st century?
And it's not just California. You couldn't get UL approval for such a toaster today, so it would not be sold anywhere.
These old toasters cost the equivalent of $235 in today's dollars. (~$23 in 1949) Of course if you buy a $200 toaster today, it would be a marvel of technology. Nobody buys $200 toasters though, you can get a crappy one for $15 and that's what people buy, so any comparisons between today and yesterday are unfair. Compare like price with like price.
Google "toaster dualit". You will find chrome, dangerously hot toasters for hundreds of dollars. It's up to you to figure out how to electrocute yourself, but I don't see why a little ingenuity wouldn't suffice.
I don't think they have the features of the Sunbeam though. If there is a model that does, I'd like to know about it since it sounds brilliant.
Who wants a toaster that can't handle thick cut bread or bagels in the 21st century?
And it's not just California. You couldn't get UL approval for such a toaster today, so it would not be sold anywhere.
These old toasters cost the equivalent of $235 in today's dollars. (~$23 in 1949) Of course if you buy a $200 toaster today, it would be a marvel of technology. Nobody buys $200 toasters though, you can get a crappy one for $15 and that's what people buy, so any comparisons between today and yesterday are unfair. Compare like price with like price.