12 vintage office supplies that will take you back to work in the 1960s

No desk was complete without a turquoise typewriter, Rolodex, intercom and lava lamp.

AP Photo

Nobody loves Mondays. It's back to the grind for another week.

Well, it doesn't have to be that way. Punching the clock at an office can be fun; it can signal a new week with friends. At least that's what classic TV shows us.

If there's one thing that would have us skipping to our jobs it is vintage workplace. How boss would it be to work in a nostalgic space filled with blue steel desks and the clattering of IBM typewriters? The cubicle was not introduced until 1967 with the sale of Herman Miller's Action Office II, so the bulk of the Sixties was cubicle-free. Modern technology is wonderful, but we miss the look of old office supplies. Well, okay, we would miss spell check.

1. The Xerox 813 copy machine

Image: Flickr

In 1963, Xerox launched the first desktop copier — as long as you did not mind a massive cube taking up half your desk. Still, it was much smaller than the ubiquitous Xerox 914, which cranked out copies at a smokin' rate of 26.4 seconds/page. Enough time to to get some coffee.


2. Dictaphone

Image: ecrater

This beats Instant Messaging or simply yelling across the room.


3. All-Steel desks

Image: Etsy / Pinterest

Your desk in the 1960s probably weighed as much as a new Fiat. We miss the bright colors.


4. Carbon paper

Image: Etsy / Pinterest

Anything that didn't stain your fingertips was preferred. 


5. Rolodex

Image: Thinkstock

How did one make a smartphone in the 1960s? Put this next to your phone.


6. Samsonite briefcases

Image: eBay

Strong enough to withstand gorilla attack.


7. Computer punch cards

Image: Thinkstock

Okay, maybe we don't miss this that much.


8. Hat racks

Image: Thinkstock

They don't bother to make these for hoodies nowadays.


9. Colorful typewriters

Image: Thinkstock

The metal machines of the past were replaced with the pastel blue and green plastic shells of 1960s machines. The electric typewriter, especially IBM's nifty Selectric with its spherical typeball, became a fixture atop desks by the end of the decade. 


10. Intercoms

Image: radioshackcatalogs

This beats Instant Messaging or simply yelling across the room.


11. Fancy lighters

Image: wishbookweb

Why get a regular ol' butane lighter when you can have a fire-breathing cannon or pistol? Note the cigarette rolling machine at the bottom of the page.


12. Nifty desk lamps (and hidden flasks)

Image: wishbookweb

The lava was flowing, even in penholders. On the middle left you will also see a flask disguised as a transistor radio.


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4 Comments

FloridaTopCat 9 months ago
Having worked for Xerox in the 80's, those copiers were crappy, but the fact of the matter is, there was nothing else! There was a reason office folks said "Go Make a Xerox" instead of "Go Make a Copy"! By the time of the 90's and 2000's, there were so many new and better options in copy systems, printers, etc. And Xerox was downsized to just one of many different print & copy manufacturers!
idkwut2use 48 months ago
Still have the Rolodex and lamps. Love that typewriter. Not sure why hat racks would be rare (replaced by all-purpose wall hooks maybe...)
CDFWIFE 48 months ago
#11, I still use the rolling machine, And it is the same make LOL
cookiegirl1957 CDFWIFE 35 months ago
That's hilarious..NOT.
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