Stapler of the Week Archive- Zenith 561

Zenith 561 steel gold and beige 

The fabrication of staplers has changed throughout their history.  Early models were often made from heavy metal castings and those of today frequently feature injection molded plastics.  The Zenith 561 comes from the era when sheet metal was punched and formed by big presses and then assembled with slots, tabs and spot welds.  In my youth, my father was a punch press operator at the Tonka Toys factory and this stapler exhibits the same assembly  techniques used to make those iconic trucks.  Its interesting to ponder the order of the stapler's assembly and how each part comes together to its finished state.  

Zenith 561 stamped details

Excerpt from the Stapler of the Week, May 6, 2020.

Stapler of the Week Archive- Zenith 548

Zenith 548 enamel finish steel and nickle plated brass

Zenith 548 box top exterior and interior cardboard

I am always on the lookout for my favorites and finding a Zenith plier stapler with original packaging is quite a treat.  My previous Zenith Stapler of the Week offerings have been the 551, 548/E & 548/E7 and now I present the 548.  There isn't too much variation between the 548s.  This version has one feature my other examples do not, the ability to both staple and pin by means of a sliding anvil.  The Zenith company website shows this feature is also available in other versions.  The 548 seems to be a slightly higher quality model with nickle-plated brass parts also available in gold-plate.  The box also reveals that the different staple sizes were noted by the color of the box they were packaged in, the 548 staples, for example, came in a blue box.  This explains the inscription of blue box in four languages on both the 548 and 548/E.

According to Zenith's history, the numbers of the models seem to correspond with the year they were introduced, the 548 in 1948, the 551 (I assume) in 1951 and later the 590 in 1990 and 595 in 1995.  I've always wondered at the seemingly arbitrary nature of model numbers.  This bit of information gives me hope that someday, the mystery of Swingline's later stapler models will be revealed.

Excerpt from the Stapler of the Week, January 1, 2012.

Stapler of the Week Archive- Zenith 551 & 548E

Zenith 551 beige and gold finish

Zenith 548/E7 gray and blue-gray finish

The Zenith stapler has long been a favorite of mine. Zenith is actually a brand of Balma-Capoduri & C. which also manufactures the popular Italian glue and adhesive brands, Coccoina and Lakol. My love for European office supply design continues and it's actually a shame my enthusiasm developed after my studies abroad in Italy. I had previously compared the Zenith to the Matac 7, another Italian stapler but had not acquired a Zenith until recently. Fortunately I found two different models, the 551 and the 548/E7. There are a few differences between the two, the 551 uses 24/6 & 24/8 staples and the 548/E7 uses 6/6 & 6/8 staples. The 551 is a bit longer than the 548E which perhaps provides the leverage needed to staple 5+ sheets or even thin cards and cardboard.

Zenith keeps updating their plier staplers for the modern age and its markets. The US distribution ranges from design-conscious sellers such as Design Within Reach, boutiques such as LA's Plastica, internet mega-marts such as Amazon, and of course the collector's fix dealer eBay. All I know, is if I'm ever near Voghera, Italy, you can be sure I'll be bringing home an assortment of Zenith staplers.

Excerpt from the Stapler of the Week, November 23, 2008.

detail Zenith 548/E gray and blue-gray finish

Zenith 548/E blue and blue-gray finish

Update May 25, 2009: I came across this 548/E and had to include it to represent a "vintage" version. Along with all it's corrosion and patina, this 548/E has a few interesting inscriptions. Like the 551 above it states it is "Importe d'Italie" but on the top it features the phrase blue box in Italian, French, English, and Spanish.