A WW2 reenactor-type of my acquaintance has a U.S. Army field desk, which he’d like to outfit to Army regs (posted here).
Reenactment outfitting is an all-or-nothing pursuit - the best allow nothing anachronistic, even relabeling things like chewing gum and bar soap as part of a proudly displayed period kit. And the one thing on the field desk supply list that has everyone puzzled is “1 cone office pins.”
Approaching the problem with ye olde pincer movement - etymologically on the left flank, logistically on the right - raises these questions:
-What was meant by “office pins” in WW2 era American English? Googling the term suggests it is now used only in Asia, where it usually means straight pins, but can also mean pushpins.
-Are they still sold in “cones”?
-What would have been most useful in a WW2 field office? Thumbtacks? Pushpins? Straight pins? Perhaps some assortment of all the above? The only other fastening product on the Army list is “1 box fasteners,” presumably the soft brass flanged type we know as paper fasteners.
I believe that an alternative name for “office pins” are “bank pins”. Same as straight pins, but larger diameter and longer. They were used to pin papers together before staplers became commonplace.
Bank pins: see C,D, E, and F here for several different lengths up to 2".
I don’t know about then; however I can tell you that currently the army offers $400,000 in life insurance, regardless of rank, age, or anything else. You can of course take less, or decline the coverage entirely.
The ankle tat on the lady in the picture gives her away.
I agree that office pins are probably straight pins which were common before staplers. You know how most staplers have that setting that no one uses where the legs push outwards? That mimics the old style pins.
Oh, man, I know this one! I think. I’d be willing to bet that they mean one of these. It’s pretty conelike, and desk pins isn’t far off from office pins. I actually have one kicking around somewhere that I bought during my architecture bachelors, although we didn’t use them for paper so much as modeling.
ETA: For the curious, it’s actually a long strip of paper with the pins embedded in it, which is coiled up in a plastic shell. I think the bottom of the shell is actually bubbled a bit to give it the cone shape, instead of a cylinder. For authenticity, you could pull the whole paper thing out, but I haven’t a clue what you’d put it in instead.
