Interview with George from My Supply Room by Grace
I read on your blog that you’ve been collecting since the 60s! What made you start?
I grew up in the 60s and my favorite time of year was when my parents took me to the store for school supplies. I was never that good in school but I did have the best supplies. I have kept some of those items in storage till I got out of the Army and I have added to the collection.
Which supplies did you use the most when you were in the army?
From the time I joined the Army in 1970 till I retired in 1991 the Army provided just about anything you could need as far as supplies go. I may add that I spent 21 years in supply so it was my job to get the supplies to the troops. The 13 plus years overseas in Germany, Japan, Korea and Saudi Arabia also provided an opportunity to shop overseas for pens and pencils and I took full advantage of it.
How does your family feel about your collecting? Do they love supplies too?
My family makes me confine “my supply room” to my office. I could use more space. I am the only collector in our family.
You have so many old pen advertisements. Where do you find those?
The advertisements serve two purposes. First they show what was going on in our world at the time they were printed. The ads from 1940s clearly have a war theme and show that there was a shortage of materials that were needed for the war. The other purpose is research, most of the companies did not keep good records for collectors so we must use the ads for research. I found some people in the area that had old magazines and we have a antique show about three times a year and there is someone there who sells pages from old magazines. I also use EBay. This type of research is also required in my job working with the TV show Mad Men.
What is your role with Mad Men??
About two years ago the property master for the TV show Mad Men contacted me after seeing my blog about providing the show with working ink pens for the year that was being filmed. This year it is 1966. I get pens, check when they were made, fit them with refills so they will work and mail them to Los Angeles. I have also provided school supplies and pencils. Sometimes they acquire pens or pencils and they will send them to me for repair. I get them working and send them back. In many cases the pens or the refills are no longer made so other brand refills must be modified to fit. (Check out this awesome gift they sent him to say thanks)
Which item in your collection is the most valuable?
Most valuable would be the eight Papermate Ops N Pops pens from 1968. I believe they went for $1,50 each when they hit the stores in 1968 and now you could not get one for less then $150.00 each and that is if you could find one at all. The whole collection is based on common items that everybody could get at their local store. At that time all the companies were in the US. The cardboard counter top displayed would be almost impossible to replace and I have 14 of them plus the large Pentel cases.
Which item is your favorite or was the hardest to find?
I do not collect anything I do not like. The may be the reason I do very little reviews because I like all the items in my collection. I would say my favorite items would be the Papermate Ops N Pops pens, Sterling Plastic office and school supplies and my Pentel rollers. Right now the Papermate Zodiac pens that came out in 1970 are the hardest to fine. I have the ads but no pens.
What non-collectible supplies do you use in your everyday life?
One thing about my collection is that most of the items can be used today. So I use them. I switch pens and pencils at least twice a day. I have about 100 in what I call my daily rotation so I switch all the time. Some old some new. I use all the other blogs to keep up on the new items.
Anything else you want to share about your collecting experience?
I do not remember a time when I have had more fun. Hearing from people who remember some of the items I post from their school days and if I have a extra one sending it to them has been fun. Same goes for sending some packages overseas to other collectors and getting a one in return is also great fun. You never get too old to enjoy the trip to the mail box.
I must admit that I’m very jealous of George and his amazing vintage office supply collection. Check out his blog – My Supply Room – and enter to win some Red Goose Notebooks in his Giveaway! Thanks George!
