REDUCED Rare, Unique, Vintage Mad Men-era Brodart Electric Eraser With Original Spare Eraser Heads

By A Mystery Man Writer

Description

This Home Accents item by WineKnow has 10 favorites from shoppers. Ships from Venice, FL. Listed on 03 Jan, 2024
Backstory: I did a bit of graphic design back in the days before personal computers. As on Mad Men, graphic design and artwork had to be prepared by hand--imagine that! No Photoshop, InDesign, HTML, digital photography. None of that great technology existed. But there was technology: Photolithography, wax machines (nifty gadgets that spread thin strips of wax on the back of a photograph or sheet of paper, so that it was easily re-positionable), andelectric erasing machines such as this one. If you can imagine a world without WYSIWYG or a "Delete" key, then you can appreciate the need for one of these little devices. I was very surprised to learn that electric erasing machines are still being made today. I wonder who uses them? I believe I acquired this electric eraser from an employer who was cleaning out a storage room full of obsolete equipment such as adding machines, manual typewriters, and mimeograph machines. History: This device has not brand or maker's marks, but the zippered plastic bag of spare erasers has a tag in it from Brodart. This company has a claim to fame that only a true book lover can appreciate: "The seeds of Brodart took root in 1939, when a young Columbia University student named Arthur Brody invented the plastic book jacket cover. Involved with architectural photography as a student, one day Mr. Brody washed the emulsion off some film and folded it around his books for added protection. When the cover’s popularity grew among his fellow students, the plastic book jacket cover was officially born, as was Brodart. Today, the covers are used to protect the original paper jackets of library books, giving them a longer shelf life and increasing their circulation." So this is the company that brought us the plastic book jacket cover! I was such a bibliophile as a child (and I still am) that I bought plastic book jacket covers for my hardcover books. I still have all of those books, nicely preserved in their protective covers. Description: This electric erasing machine has what appears to be a Bakelite or Lexan shell in a pale flesh-tone color. It still works, and it has a clever little safety/energy-saving feature: When it is turned upright, with the erasing facing up, the device stops running. On the bottom of the device is a rough pad, almost like sandpaper. It appears to be retrofitted to the device. But its function is clear: When the device is laid on its back, it would have the tendency to slide or "creep" without this pad. The device is very quiet and does not get hot, and the vibration is minimal. It's got some scuff marks and scratches, but I haven't removed them. I think they add charm and authenticity to the device. An unusual, unique gift idea. 4 inches x 2.75 inches x 2.25 inches. Lexan shell with a 1.5 inch extension for the eraser, and a 10 foot power cord. A bag of coarse and soft replacement erasers is included. NOTE: The erasers are dried out and can't be used, but new replacement erasers are still available online.