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- Swingline Cub Plier

Swingline Cub Plier steel chrome and green finish

Swingline Cub Plier steel chrome and green finish

Along with previously featured Swingline Cub staplers, these Cub Pliers not only fall into the "cute" category, but are also perfectly sized for comfort and function. When held in one's palm, the user's thumb and index finger naturally fall into position in the indents on the top and bottom of the stapler. The Cub Plier features a punched tab at the rear to enable attaching a chain or string to prevent "office product drift" which tends to occur in the workplace. As with all Cub examples, Cub or no 77 staples are required, for which I am still searching for a equivalent source as Swingline has discontinued production and sold off all surplus stock. I have not seen enough examples to speak to the color variety, although a recent eBay auction featured an orange Cub Plier, which in my experience is an uncommon color. Crate and Barrel's trendy subsidiary, CB2, is peddling a modern orange Swingline. Although, I can't say it'll be on my wish-list.

Image from a eBay auction offered by Mitchell's Memorabilia Company.

Excerpt from the Stapler of the Week, February 12, 2009.

Stapler of the Week Archive- Novus B 22

Novus B 22 steel two tone grey and chrome finish

Novus B 22 box printed cardboard

There seems to be a pattern in my stapler collecting. A lot of my favorite staplers designs come from German designers or manufacturers and Novus has been making staplers there since 1949. Along with Novus, Leitz and the previously featured Elastic are some other German stapler manufacturers of note. The Novus B22 is a straight-forward design, staples load in front by operating catch in rear, conversion to tacking means merely opening up the stapler and switching from staple to pin requires only to move the anvil in the desired direction. Nothing too fancy here, but the muted greys are soothing and very pleasing to the eye.

Excerpt from the Stapler of the Week, January 26, 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- Arrow 210

Arrow 210 green and chrome finish

The Arrow 210 was introduced to me last fall by a fellow stapler enthusiast but I hadn't come across an example until recently. The 210 was most likely designed and manufactured in good old Brooklyn, NY and has a few really interesting features that sets it apart from other desktop models. The most interesting has to be the anvil plate which is triangular in shape and offers not just two but three staple settings: staple, pin and temporary staple. Staples load from the rear, the top opens with the release seen on the side and to top it all off, instead of simply hinging open for tacking, the entire top comes off. Another notable feature of this 210 is the area on top of the stapler holds a plastic plaque which could be engraved with your company name. On the whole it is quite a nice desktop stapler.

Excerpt from The Stapler of the Week, January 5, 2009.

Stapler of the Week Archive-'BABE'

Parrot Speed Fastener Corp 'BABE' chrome finish with corrosion

This little 'BABE" has, as you can see, a lot of history. I'd been on the look out for an example since seeing examples featured by the Early Office Museum and by the Stapler Exchange. The 'Babe' was manufactured in Germany and distributed in the U.S.A. by Parrot Speed Fastener Corp, which later became Swingline. The 'Babe' features a sliding paper stop allowing the user get every staple the same distance from the edge of the paper. Another notable design aspect is the way the stapler shifts from stapling to pinning. Instead of the anvil plate moving, the entire top of the stapler moves at the hinge pin between two positions. The whole process seems just a bit difficult to me, but who am I to question the stapler that started an empire.

Excerpt from The Stapler of the Week, December 19, 2008.

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.