Stapler of the Week Archive- Hotchkiss No. 57

Hotchkiss No. 57 steel black and chrome finish

Hotchkiss No. 57 box cardboard

Hotchkiss No. 57 box interior cardboard

This Hotchkiss No. 57 is one of the many briefcase plier stapler models in my collection.  The packaging of this stapler, however, displays a variation I had not yet seen.  The "True Blue Clipper" perhaps speaks to Norwalk's proximity to the Atlantic and may have been so-themed to appeal to the nautical businessman or stapler deprived sailor.  In any case, it provides another example of variation in decoration as a marketing tool.    

Hotchkiss No. 57 from a Collectors Weekly post by American Stationer 

Excerpt from the Stapler of the Week, April 24, 2020.

Stapler of the Week Archive- Hotchkiss No. 53

Hotchkiss No 53 steel chrome finish

For some time I have been collecting versions of the Hotchkiss No 52, No 54 and No 57 and always had a sneaking suspicion there was something missing.  Certain Hotchkiss staple packaging notes the mythical No 53 and here it is, the heavy duty plier stapler.  It has the style of the Hotchkiss plier but unlike the others, the  No 53 will not fit in your pocket easily.  It may fit in your briefcase and it should because lets face it, this stapler means business.  


Excerpt from the Stapler of the Week, June 29, 2010.

Stapler of the Week Archive- Hotchkiss No. 57

Hotchkiss No. 57 steel grey and chrome finish

Hotchkiss No. 57 steel black and chrome finish

Hotchkiss No. 57 box cardboard with printed paper label

These examples of the Hotchkiss No. 57 join the No. 52 and No. 54 in the series but at first glance they reveal only superficial differences between models. The No. 57 uses a slightly narrower gauge 1/8" staple, where as the No. 52 and No. 54 share 3/16" or 1/8" staples. The instructions included in the No. 52 and No. 57 boxes references the method to clear jammed staples "by placing a pencil between the jaws of the plier and compressing the handles" at which point "the patented spring front plate comes into play allowing the crumpled staples to be ejected." The No. 54 is not mentioned in these instructions and this led me to notice a small button located just behind the jaw which when depressed takes the place of the pencil in ejecting a jammed staple. This button is also found on the Elastic Juwel, which leads me to believe it's taken from the German design. All in all another fascinating chapter in the Hotchkiss story.

Excerpt from the Stapler of the Week, February 18, 2009.

Stapler of the Week Archive- Hotchkiss 122A & 122-P

Hotchkiss 122-P steel chrome and grey finish

Hotchkiss 122-P box cardboard with printed paper label

Hotchkiss 122-A steel, pot metal, and plastic black finish

Hotchkiss 122A box printed cardboard

Here is a comparison of two different versions of the Hotchkiss 122 series manufactured in two different eras. I first consulted my wife/resident objects expert regarding the 122A and the first words out of her mouth were, "war-time relic." Rationing applied to all the essentials of life such as food, clothing and yes even stapling. I've seen Swingline staplers from the same era made from similar materials including bakelite and even wood. The 122-P by contrast has very little in variety of material. It's design is the same with the exception of it's plier stapler foot, but the construction is a bit more refined. A comparison of the box designs is also of some interest. The 122A box is simply printed cardboard box whereas the 122-P has a two part box with a printed paper label attached. Another example of this style of box can be found with the Hotchkiss No. 52, Stapler of the Week, January 19, 2008. All in all two very interesting staplers and as the nickname "Bantam" suggests, they're small yet powerful.

Excerpt from the Stapler of the Week, January 19, 2009.

Stapler of the Week Archive- Hotchkiss No. 52

Hotchkiss No.52 steel grey and metal finish

Another great Hotchkiss plier stapler, the No. 52 varies slightly from the No. 54 previously featured in the Stapler of the Week. The No. 52 seems to allow one to clear jammed staples by means of the "patented spring front plate", where as the No. 54 does not appear to have this feature. The box (pictured below) boasts "This Hotchkiss Model No. 52 may be carried in pocket or briefcase" and advises one to "Ask about Hotchkiss Model No. 53 for Heavy Duty Industrial Work" as the No. 52 is recommended for light duty work. Along with the stapler, the box also contains a operating instructions and a guarantee bond in both English and Spanish translation. The instructions are said to apply to the No. 51, 52, 53 and 57 pliers and do not mention the No. 54. I can only imagine what it was like to see a shelf stocked with boxes of these staplers and the virtues of each individual model.

Hotchkiss No. 52 box printed paper on cardboard

Excerpt from the Stapler of the Week, January 19, 2007.

Hotchkiss No. 52 steel and potmetal black and copper finish

Update to the Stapler of the Week, January 18, 2009.

Stapler of the Week Archive-Hotchkiss No. 54

Hotchkiss No. 54 patent Dec 4, 1934 chrome finish

This specific stapler's design can be traced to one Fridolin Polzer through patent drawings provided by Old Staplers.com. It's also the unadorned version of a plier stapler in the modernism collection of the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. I've been looking for one ever since I saw the MIA's example. It's movement is refined and concealed within its case. The staples are smaller than those of the Swingline "Tot" 50. Truly, it was meant to be ornamented and used by delicate hands.

In researching this stapler, I learned some interesting details about the Hotchkiss Company. Due to a bit of marketing genius by E.H. Hotchkiss, in Japan and Korea the word for stapler is Hotchikisu, according to Curtis Scaglione's Stapler Exchange. Apparently Hotchkiss sent a shipment of fasteners there and as they were the first fasteners the Japanese had ever seen, they naturally referred to them (and all that followed) by the Hotchkiss name.

Also, there's a question if there is any connections between the Hotchkiss stapler and the Hotchkiss machine gun used in WWI. Jim Breen, an Austrailian IT researcher, did a bit of digging here but couldn't find a definite connection, aside from the fact both families came from Connecticut.

Excerpt from the Stapler of the Week, September 16, 2007

Stapler of the Week Archive- Hotchkiss No 1

Hotchkiss No 1 age-patinated cast metal

The Hotchkiss No 1 is the first strip stapler I have seen in person. Instead of the fine wire staple strips we load into today's modern stapler, the No 1 used a strip that had been punched and formed from a flat strip of metal. The resulting staple was much more substantial than our modern day staple. The Hotchkiss No 1 was also sold with a tail (as in this example from the early office museum), which I imagine allowed for longer strips of staples to be used. Without having seen one operate, I cannot be sure.

This stapler was on loan to me from the Jack Pavlik collection. We had a great conversation about stapler and he lent me a few examples to document for the Stapler of the Week.

Excerpt from the Stapler of the Week, June 29, 2007.