Antique Pickers: Bump Paper Fastener

The "Bump" Paper Fastener or Stapleless Stapler was developed around the 1910-1920's or there about. Instead of using staples the Bump Paper Fastener fastens sheets of paper together by cutting, then folding and finally tucking the cut paper back into itself. To accomplish this task you simply bump the top of the paper faster and the tool does the rest. This was the ultimate in green office technology back then, without the use of metal staples.

At some point these devices disappeared and the stapler took off. It reminds me of the VHS vs Beta Max or the 8 Track vs the Cassette tape. Doing a quick search on ebay, you can still find a few of these gems.

The one pictured above is made made from steel. It was made in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Many people people will often mistake these for metal staplers, which they certainly aren't.

Below is what happens when you use the Bump Paper Fastener on two sheets of paper. The pink sheet was the bottom sheet and the cream was the top. Notice how the the sheets were folded into the horizontal slice.