Agnes by Tony Cochran for March 12, 2024

When I was a kid, I collected bottle caps.

Hmm, yes, I’m sure I read about the famous stapler collection in my guide book. It’s on my bucket list to visit, but only if they have a good souvenir shop.

I thought she collected freaky deaky dresser " ornaments"

Agnes finds all sorts of “edifying” things in the dumpster.

“Vintage” staplers could be interesting I suppose but wouldn’t have the cachet of an antique high carriage typewriter. At least to me.

How about Milton’s?

She’ll lose the battle when she goes up against someone with a nail gun collection

https://en.Wikipedia.org/wiki/Stapler

I was inspired to look up the first stapler. Who says comics ain’t edumacationalizing?

Don’t get attached to them.

I think the red one is from “Office Space”.

In all fairness to Agnes, staplers are much more edifying.

Whoaa fancy girl. Paper clips not good enough for you?

trout had it right in the first place…

The two collections share one common characteristic. You can seal things together with staples; you can seal things together with Wrigley’s Spearmint. Of course, it is somewhat easier to un-seal the ones that have been stapled.

Agnes is welcome to enjoy her collection, but she is usually lacking in critical skills. The translation of “rare” and “vintage” is that she found the staplers in a dumpster, and they are rusted and grungy. Trout’s use of the word “junk” is probably more accurate.

My own vintage stapler collection consists of one item, a chrome Arrow 105 from the 1960s. I found it about five years ago at a yard sale. Cost me $8, but it came with the original box and three boxes of staples (they’re actually Swingline, but I’ve kept that quiet from the Arrow people). I couldn’t resist. I keep it on my desk and use it regularly.

“Somewhere in the ballpark of well over several” is my new favorite phrase. Thank you, Tony Cochran!