Recommendations for a vacum tube tester

Unlikely to find anything that works for $150.    Maybe luck and patience and you can find one on CL but most likely it will need service.     If you look at almost any eBay ad for a tester it will most likely say "parts" and " no returns"     its rare to find one that works and is to spec and you pay dearly for that 

You will need to spend in the $500-1000 for a unit that is in working condition and calibrated for accuracy.  Plus you will have to maintain it as well.  Testers in that range will tell you if tubes are good or not but cannot match tubes correctly if you want that feature.  My recommendation is just find a testing service like this one I use.

https://www.western-glow.com/vaccum-tube-testing-matching/

In 1950 dollars?

In 1950 they were $25