During the Covid-19 pandemic, many office-based staff had to start working from home, including our collector. Renny says ‘at pretty short notice we had to equip ourselves for home-working and a colleague provided me with a stapler for my home use. Used to modern (and often unreliable) plasticky staplers this was something considerably older, heavier, smarter – and I liked the design. I was struck that, in the age of product disposability and incompatibility between manufacturers, here was a plucky machine made in the 1970s that still worked perfectly in 2020, using standard staples that are still widely available. From that first stapler the collection grew as my interest in these ingenious metal-bending machines developed.’
The collection ranges from the mid to late 20th century. It includes British models and American designs of the 1950s with atomic-age styling and heavy weight, with brands such as Swingline, Bates, Bostitch and Wilson-Jones being the focus. These staplers were designed to last, and our collector thinks they are worth celebrating.
Event Information
Dates and Times
- 29 July 2025 – 25 January 2026
Location
Finders Keepers? gallery
