Weapon of Choice: “Eugene”, 1970 Webster XL-747 #L0944386
I was typing a letter to Gregory during TCL this week, but he’s not getting it, at least not the physical manifestation thereof, ’till I see his next volley. Instead it does double-duty as an OTP submission…
TCL – Sep 12, 2021:
My 1979 Ace Scout (2b) stapler has arrived, won in a contest available to American Stationer’s Patreon supporters. I know it is a “2b” version Scout built in April 1979 because it has a datecode and it is of course *featured* on page 83 of Frank Parsons’ “Staplers, Stapling Machines & Paper Fasteners – Volume 3 – ACE Fastener”, which is now out. This volume in particular is of interest to me, because ACE is a brand that can be had for $1 in any thrift store and it is a company that produced very good designs in great quantity. Ease of access to the collectible is only half the equation, though – the other half is easy access to information and a way to definitively classify and date the object of collectible interest. That is how you nurture a community of people interested in collecting that object and discussing it and its history with others, and Frank Parsons has been steadily building the reference work for the fastening machines that would interest casual and MCM collectors as well as antique-seekers. I’m hoping that this is a popular book and brings more people into the stapler collecting world, because frankly these contests are way too easy to win. :D
I had one of those scanners when I was in the volunteer F.D. way back in the day before Motorola alert monitors. If you can get the crystals many people use the scanners to listen to local VHF/UHF Amateur Radio frequencies. Now my old CB call was KBKxxxx. So long ago I forget the suffix.
Congrats on winning the stapler.
well, I have a more modern digitally-tuned Bearcat that I use for scanning local frequencies, so I’m not about to chase down crystals for this one. I’m pondering sending it to someone who likes listening to static.
I did note that one of these is mounted to the dash of the ECTO-1 that will be in the new Ghostbusters reboot, so maybe it’ll become a collectable soon :D
Cool! Our family was big into road trips when I was a kid. My dad always had a CB radio strapped inside his 1970 Cadillac DeVille. While listening for traffic conditions, he taught us kids some CB lingo. He’d always start off with “Break 1-9, this is Triple Threat for a radio check…”
thanks for sharing this. my father was an emt/volunteer fire fighter, and used several of these units (one at home, one in each vehicle) the whole time i was growing up.
My Webster 747 is really my go-to for night writing I love that machine.
Thanks for sharing. A friend gave me one the other day and said it works perfectly.All I need to do is find a power cord. Still looking.
Ken’s Electronics (269) 345-4609
Thanks for sharing this information. I recently inherited an Electra Bearcat III in beautiful shape and needed the manual. I’m near Phoenix, AZ, and noticed you had a list of police frequencies that used to be used in the Phoenix area. My scanner came with all 8 crystals in it, but I haven’t heard anything on any of the frequencies. I have a non digital programmable scanner with a limit search function. I’m going to see if I can find anything on any of the frequencies within the range of the old Bearcat, and if so, I might get some crystals for those frequencies. Sure would be fun to hear this old radio work again.