Wednesday, December 7, 2011

How tacky.


If you have ever been to a flea market in Vienna, you know that it is bound to be filled with unusual treasures.

Take, for example, these vintage thumb tacks. Have you ever seen anything like them?


Beneath the brand names "Phalanx" and "President" you will notice that the name of their country of origin (Austria) is stamped into the metal.


The number printed at the bottom refers to the size. Thus the "President" tack is significantly larger than the "Phalanx" one.


This "Rembrandt" tack may be shy about revealing its origins, but it came with the same lot as the others.


These little tacks may appear unassuming, but they truly are are a monument to attractively simple design.

8 comments:

  1. Just found a similar thumb tack in our old roll-top desk. It says Senator - Austria - 22.

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    1. Very interesting! Thanks for sharing this. I got an email a while back from someone who had found a similar tack on the backside of a frame and was trying to use it to date the painting it contained. So a few people are encountering these odd little creatures.

      At this point my best guess is that this type of tack was graded according to size (No. 2, No. 3, No. 4). I'm thinking yours probably had the two 2's separated on either side of the gap in the head, and that it's actually a No. 2 tack.

      Still no information on when they were produced, though.

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  2. Just found one stuck in a piano built in 1886. Haven't found any info on these tacks, just your site.

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    1. Brian, thanks for the comment. What a shame so little information is available about these tacks. No one seems to know when tacks like this began to be manufactured. In your case, they could have been added to the back early on, or even decades after its production.

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  3. I have 3 of these tacks. they say "Gloria" and have a "4 4" on them. They came from my mother's house when she recently moved. I do remember these tacks from the time I was a little girl......some 40+ years ago. The tacks were something that was always in a box in the desks drawer, I now have them stuck in a bulletin board at work. A bit of nostalgia!

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    1. What a delightful way to remember the past! They do have a certain charm to them that modern tacks simply cannot match.

      Thanks for the information about what was on your tacks. It provides yet another clue to unraveling the mystery of these curious little items. If you happen to come back here, I would be curious to hear your thoughts as to when and how your mother got her tacks, whether they were from Europe or the US, or even elsewhere.

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  4. Not too long ago I inherited a treasure trove of art and office supplies from my great uncle, including 8 complete boxes of Senator thumb tacks. I believe they would've been purchased in the US, and was wondering if any details on the box might help further indicate the date they were made. I posed them on my Etsy shop at https://www.etsy.com/listing/223585846/vintage-senator-silver-steel-thumb-tacks if you'd like to see some pictures. Such an mysterious little piece of history!

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    1. What a sensational find! I cannot believe you found seven whole boxs of them—with the label intact and even with the accompanying tack remover. I agree with your guess that they date from the turn of the 20th century to the 1920s, judging by the fonts and design of the box. But it would be difficult to narrow it down any more than that. Perhaps someone with even more knowledge of design during that period can use these clues to refine our estimate.

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The Hausfrau eagerly awaits your thoughts.