old hole punch

Hi all was hoping someone could tell me how hold this hole punch might be. weighs 2.5 kgs no makers marks anywhere also is it cast iron have taken a close up of metal maybe bronze appreciate all thoughts did a search couldn't find anything similar 150mm z 170mm base Chris

 

the way the holes line up should be a clue to it's use...

 

My hunch about the punch is that it was for something like accounting paper or pages of a sales book, if paper for the binder did not come pre-punched. It is not adjustable, so intended for something very specific.

I often misread photos: does the handle have 2 pieces that stop it from being depressed too far?

 

Hi,
I think the 30s is right. I have a cast iron cellophane tape dispenser from the late 30s or early 40s. It is brown and weights almost 4 lbs. I just noticed that the last tape I bought for it is just a tiny bit bigger (the plastic roll) and does not fit right. I certainly hope that it is a defect and not the norm.
greg

 

Bunches of hunches about punches! If op wants to tell Iron from bronze, all he needs is a magnet since bronze is not magnetic. This item contains no bronze. I don’t know whether light-colored plates inside are aluminum or plated steel, again magnet will tell. I’ve found the little rare-earth magnets to be useful additions to my tool “arsenal.”

 

My Dad still had several of these at his business in the 1960's. He owned lumber and building supply operations that had been around since the turn of the century.

Out in the lumber yard, these punches were used for 3-part "delivery invoices". If a customer came in and wanted to have his purchase delivered, the customer got one copy, the bottom copy got stacked on a spindle-type gizmo for inventory control, and the middle copy went to the truck driver to have signed by the customer upon delivery and returned to the office for billing purposes. (Back then, you did not have to pay up front!)

The "spindle gizmo" held maybe 3"-4" worth of copies, which then fit into hardboard-backed "books" that clamped them all together and could be stood on shelves. There seemed to be miles of those books lined up in the office.

Cash and carry hardware purchases in the front building used the punches, too, without the extra delivery copy.

My sisters and I used to love to play with the punches (and the old fashioned adding machines - with the pull-down, ca-chunk, ca-chunk handles on the sides) when we were kids.

Of course, the introduction of computers changed all of it.

 

I know some old holes I'd like to punch...

 

Next we know you'll hoe some old knolls!

 

thanks guys she's all metal should have checked first but I'm a bit impatient sometimes cheers

 

Google is celebrating today as the 100th anniversary of the hole punch.

 

Bob,

131st Anniversary

 

OH You beat me to it!!!!
Yes, 131.

 

1,2 punch.

 

Yeah. 131. My bad.

 

The configuration of this punch seems to be "A5 European 4-ring". Now if only that meant something.

 

I tried to look that up online in the hope of finding when the format was introduced, but no such luck.