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Early Office Museum

Antique Stapler Gallery 
 ~ Strip Stapling Machines ~

 
Strip Staples
Some boxes of Hotchkiss strip staples are labeled with a patent date of 1891, while others have a patent date of 1911.
All the machines below, except the Star, Giant Star, and Hotchkiss No. 2 through No. 4 paper fasteners, use the same staples as the Hotchkiss No. 1.

Holder's 1928 catalog of office supplies, p. 289, states the following regarding the Hotchkiss No. 1 through No.4 strip staplers:
"The Nos. 1, 3 and 4 [which have plungers topped by knobs] operate the same. It is only required to strike the plunger a quick, sharp blow to bind paper or cloth.
The No. 2 model [which has a lever rather than a knob] operates with a compressor and has greater capacity than the other styles.
It operates noiselessly and is especially desirable if one objects to or cannot stand the effects of the concussion on the hands in the 'blow' styles."
Office supply stores sold rubber caps that could be put on over the knobs of some staplers to protect the operators' hands.
One of these caps can be seen below in the photo for the Crofoot Paper Fastener No. 525.

Model, Year, Maker	Click Image to Enlarge
Star Paper Fastener Patented 1896 ~ Advertised 1895-1900 Jones Mfg. Co, Norwalk CT Company name changed to E. H. Hotchkiss Co., Norwalk, CT, in 1897. Also sold by Hotchkiss without the tail in 1897. The tails on strip staplers are used to hold long or multiple strips of staples
Hotchkiss No. 1 Paper Fastener (model without tail) Advertised 1898-1924 E. H. Hotchkiss Co. Norwalk, CT This model was awarded an Official Ribbon at the National Export Exposition, Philadelphia, PA, in 1899.
Giant Star Paper Fastener (right in photo) Advertised 1900 E. H. Hotchkiss Co., Norwalk, CT Giant Star on right weighs twice as much as the Star on left.
Hotchkiss No. 2 Paper Fastener Advertised 1903-30 E. H. Hotchkiss Co. Norwalk, CT
Hotchkiss No. 3 Paper Fastener Advertised 1905-30 E. H. Hotchkiss Co. Norwalk, CT
Hotchkiss Automatic Tag Machine Advertised 1905-30 E. H. Hotchkiss Co. Norwalk, CT
Hotchkiss No. 4 Paper Fastener Advertised 1907-24 E. H. Hotchkiss Co. Norwalk, CT A different (probably earlier) version of the No. 4 was advertised in 1908.  Two later versions were advertised in 1924-30 and c. 1935, respectively.
Paper Fastener Patented 1909 in Germany Germany An almost identical machine, with minor differences in decoration, was made by ISCO  and advertised in the US as the New International Stapler c. 1911.
Hotchkiss Automatic Tacker Advertised in Czechoslovakia 1910 E. H. Hotchkiss Co. Norwalk CT
Paper Fastener Advertised 1910 (Prague, now Czech Republic), 1913 (France) Probably Germany
Paper Fastener
Pratic Stapler A. Rebichon Paris, France
Pratic Tacker A. Rebichon Paris, France
Hotchkiss No. 1 Paper Fastener (model with tail) Advertised 1912 E. H. Hotchkiss Co. Norwalk, CT NCR's 1912 catalog shows this stapler with "The National Cash Register Co.  Dayton, Ohio U.S.A." on top of the plunger. All versions of the Hotchkiss No. 1 were sold without and with tails.
Paper Fastener Advertised 1913 (France)
Tacker Advertised 1913 (France)
Hotchkiss No. 1 Paper Fastener Patented 1918 ~ Advertised 1917-25 E. H. Hotchkiss Co. Norwalk, CT
Greenfield Paper Fastener Patented 1914 ~ Advertised 1919-22 Greenfield Mfg. Co. New York, NY A different model was advertised in 1917. In 1920, the Greenfield stapler was advertised as having a two-position anvil. In one position, the legs on the staple were bent inward when after the staple was inserted through papers. In the other position, the legs were bent outward to provide a temporary fastener that was straight and could be pulled out as though it were a pin. This is the earliest two-position anvil on a stapler that we have noticed. Two-position anvils became common on magazine stapling machines during the 1930s (Hotchkiss Wire-Stapling Machine, 1931; Neva-Clog Stapler D-30, 1936; Ace Stapler No. 102, 1939).
Stapler Worcester, MA Courtesy Ronald Rajala
Crofoot No. 6 Stapler Patented 1917 J. B. Crofoot Co. (Incorporated 1920) Chicago, IL
Stapler Advertised 1920 Germany
Defiance Paper Fastener & New Irvin Paper Fastener Patented 1921-26 ~ Five Models Advertised 1917-23 (details below) Defiance Mfg. Co., New York, NY (1917-19) The B. Jahn Mfg. Co, New Britain, CT (which manufactured for Alex. H. Irvin Co., Curwensville, PA) (1920-23) Defiance 1A No Miss advertised 1917-19. New Irvin 1A, 1920-22; 1B No Miss, 1920-21; 2L, 1921-23; 3, 1921; 4, 1921-22.	Defiance 1A No Miss New Irwin 1B (left) and 1A
Compo Paper Fastener Patented 1923 ~ Advertised 1921-25 Compo Mfg. Co. Westport, CT
Hotchkiss No. 1 Paper Fastener Patented 1925 ~ Advertised 1921-50 (without tail) Advertised 1924, c. 1935 (with tail) E. H. Hotchkiss Co. Norwalk, CT
Hotchkiss Unit Paper Fastener Advertised 1923-26 E. H. Hotchkiss Co. Norwalk, CT
Crofoot Tacker No. 540 Patented 1917-24 J. B. Crofoot Co. (Incorporated 1920) Chicago, IL
Edeno Paper Fastener Advertised 1925 in U.S. C. Jacobowitz Berlin, Germany
Compo Paper Fastener Advertised 1925 Compo Mfg. Co. Westport, CT
Hotchkiss No. 2 Paper Fastener Advertised 1925-37 E. H. Hotchkiss Co. Norwalk, CT
Hotchkiss No. 4 Paper Fastener Advertised 1928 E. H. Hotchkiss Co. Norwalk, CT Image coming from Horder's 1928 catalog.
Pyramid Paper Fastener UK
Crofoot Paper Fastener No. 525 Patented 1928 J. B. Crofoot Co. Chicago, IL Courtesy of Mark W. Uslan
World Paper Fastener

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