NOTICE It has been my pleasure to share with you, the fastener collecting community, information and photos of antique and vintage fasteners. After 12 years of research, I feel I am a little further up the road of understanding. But, for now, I am closing the Stapler Exchange Web Site. I will however, continue collecting.

I wish to thank those of you that visited my site regularly. For a little free web site, it registered between 2 and 3 hundred hits monthly. I received an average of 4 emails a week asking about the history of different staplers, and these where from nearly every country. Pretty Cool !

I wish you all well and may that never ending search lead you to a very rare find at a really great price.

Curtis

Fastener History

History would have us believe that a paper fastener was made for King Louis XV. It was also said that the staples, inscribed with the royal courts insignia, were individually made. While this may be true, no evidence has been found that would validate this claim.

Although, it is early to make any assumption, dozens of documents signed by King Louis XV have been scrutinized and to date, none have been found with any type of staple, pin, or other form of fastener.

Within several historical documents the king was reported to have granted his secretary permission to sign many documents on his behalf. King Louis was not fond of administrative duties and disliked the pomp and ceremony of royalty. These facts do not prove anything, but can only make one wonder, if he had little interest in these duties, would he bother with the additional efforts to fasten documents together?

If anything, it is plausible that a fastener of sort was made for the king’s court. Whether he ever used it or even saw it was another story. His secretary who already had authority to sign on behalf of the king would more than likely be responsible for final disposition of documents.

The investigation continues.

For many years it was also reported that Samuel Slocum was the first American inventor of the stapler when in fact his invention had nothing to do with fastening papers together. Slocum’s business was pins and pins were in great demand. Some say they were as rare and expensive as gold. England actually imposed a tariff on pins coming from America.

Samuel Slocum needed a way to press pins into a small piece of paper so he could sell the pins he manufactured.

Several books dating from 1860 to 1897 confirmed his place in history and discuss in great detail his contribution to the “pin” industry.

The two paper fasteners that have continued to make their presence known are the McGill's Single Staple Press and the Novelty. Both have patent dates that reach back to the 1870's and 1880's. It wasn't until the end of the 19th century that the machine was produced in large quantities.

Even so, the fastener was considered an extravagance that most business owners were not prepared to provide. Taking into account the value of the dollar at the turn of the century,the price of a machine was considerably higher than those of today.

It is said that one machine in a office of 500 employees was considered sufficient.

---

The Novelty Paper Fastener

This little tool was first patented by the Patent Novelty Mfg Co. on August 7, 1866 with additional patents on April 13, 1880, April 3, 1883, January 12, 1886, May 31, 1887, November 24, 1891 and December 5, 1893. The interesting thing about this machine, is that you load one staple at a time.

The makers described its uses as: For binding books, papers, pamphlets, putting down carpets or matting, frames, garters, fancy work, etc. Upholstering furniture, putting up window curtains, exhibiting goods in windows, labeling trunks, boxes, etc., etc.

Its intent was for lawyers, printers, salesmen, merchants, and almost everybody, it is one of the most desirable articles ever offered.

Steel tinned staples could easily be obtained from the P.N. Mfg. Co. with several sizes offered; 3/16, 1/4, 3/8, and 1/2.

If desired, the Staple Driver could be used without the use of the Staple Clincher. The instructions read: Place a staple in the slot, then set the tool squarely against the paper, etc., first laying the same upon a soft wooden block, old paper, book or something of the sort. Then drive the staple home. To clinch it, turn the paper over, bend the projecting points slightly together, cover them with the slotted end of the tool and repeat the blow which will clinch them most effectually.(Anyone have an old block of wood?)

McGill Single Stroke Staple Press

George W. McGill of Washington, DC, and subsequently New York, NY, was a prolific inventor of brass paper fasteners and paper fastening devices from the mid-1860s through the early 1890s. On July 24, 1866, he was awarded US Patent No. 56,587 for a small bendable brass paper fastener, and on Aug. 13, 1867, he was awarded Patent No. 67,665 for a press designed to insert these fasteners into papers.

He exhibited his paper fasteners at the 1876 Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia, where he was awarded a first prize medal, and continued to patent variations and improvements on these products through the 1880s.

On February 18, 1879, McGill was awarded Patent No. 212,316 for the McGill's Single-Stroke Staple Press. Like all McGill paper fastening products, the press was manufactured and distributed by Holmes, Booth and Haydens of New York. To use the device, a single preformed bent wire staple one-half inch wide is inserted into a slit under the plunger.

After the device is used to insert the staple, the device is ready to be reloaded with another individual staple.

The patent states that "The principal object of my invention is to effect the insertion and clinching of a staple in sheets of paper, pamphlets, or other articles. My invention is arranged as a hand-press, and consists of a bedplate, furnished at its front end with a clinching anvil, and at its rear with a pillar, in which is pivoted one end of a lever-arm, the other end of which is provided with the mechanism for inserting the staple in the articles to be bound, and which, in connection with the anvil, clinches the staple in said articles."

This cast iron press is 4.5 inches high by 6.25 inches long and weighs 2 lb. 9 oz. It is painted black with gold and red details. The gold lettering on the base reads "McGill's Patent Single Stroke Staple Press Patented Feb. 18, 1879."

Similar machines produced during this period include Brown's Single Blow Staple Binder, produced by W. J. Brown, Jr., of Philadelphia, PA.

Two other types of stapling machines were invented at virtually the same time as these hinged single staple devices. One other type included a variety of devices with two separate pieces, a clincher and a driver, which was also loaded with staples one at a time. Examples are the small Novelty and Victor paper fasteners, as well as the larger McGill Staple Press No. 2. The latter was covered by Patent No. 252,841, which was issued to McGill on Jan. 24, 1882.

Like McGill's Single-Stroke Staple Press, these two-piece devices were heavily marketed from around 1880 to the mid-1890s. The second other type of stapling machines had a magazine that could hold a row of staples. While such devices were patented as early as the late 1870s, I have not seen an advertisement or example that pre-dates the late 1880s.

The Brown Staple Machine

It is now known that this machine was in fact invented with the purpose of fastening papers or books. Also referred to as the Yarger, for S. J. Yarger who was the Distributor, this stapler was actually invented by William J. Brown and manufactured in Philadelphia, PA. The patent date, September 13, 1887 is cast into the right side of this machine.

Initial investigation reveled that the fastener is made of cast medal and each part was numbered. It was designed to be permanently attached to a bench, table or desk.

Like the McGill Single Staple Press, the anvil on this machine is round, confirming an early method of turning the staple inward after passing through the paper.

The Acme

The Stapling machine produced by the Acme Stapling Company was made of cast iron. Staplers were loaded from the rear of the machine. The design was typical of the 19th century design. The staples were loose wires mounted on cardboard or metal cores. They were driven forward by a cannon type spring.

Acme advertised that its machine was "especially adapted for office work and its usefulness is not at all confined to any one class of customer. In fact the lawyer, the tailor, and the munitions maker - all need to use the Acme Stapler."

The Hotchkiss

Probably in greater demand today than any other stapler is the Hotchkiss. These early machines are beautifully built and have the Victorian design about them that just says, "Antique".

This model used what was known as the Herringbone stapler. It took a strong fist to strick the head of the stapler to separate the staple from the strip. To support an extra long strip of staples, this early example has a long curved tail on it.

While some collectors have indicated that the original design was attributed to James Keyes' patent number 572,346 a close examination clearly credits his patent as an improvement to the stapling machine patented by Edwin T. Greenfield. Patent 572,293 is in fact the true patent for the invention of this machine.

Many collectors believe that all Hotchkiss Fasteners came with this tail, but in fact, they did not.

Hotchkiss had a great deal of success and commanded its fair share of the market up until the 1930's. By that time others decided to share in the profits to be made by this little office giant.

---

Photos like this one are next to impossible to find, especially one that deals with a subject that is near and dear to your heart. That is why I completely worked a vintage photo into one that I could really enjoy. After many hours of cloning, repainting adding and subtracting, this photo now shows what every collector wants to find. A related subject (Staplers) with poineers from the industry (Eli Hotchkiss in the door and Gertrude Hotchkiss-Heyn sitting in front of the store) advertisements in the windows and on the front of the building, and oh yeah, that's me in the window next door on the top floor.