Rare Vintage PENLEY Wooden CLOTHES PINS - Lot of 36 in Original Cloth Bag

Description: The item pictured is Representative of the Item you will receive. Items in the background are Not Included. This Listing is for a NOS (New Old Stock Item). These/This Item was manufactured by the PENLEY COMPANY of WEST PARIS, MAINE USA in the 1940's and has been in Storage for decades. There are traces of corrosion on metal pieces and the Fabric Bags have discolorations. No Returns on this item. WEST PARIS — Penley Corp., founded by three brothers in 1923, became known as the “Clothespin Capital of the World” for its brisk sales of one-piece birch clothespins.A decade after the mill opened, brothers Fred, Lester and Walter Penley expanded operations to manufacture flat-slotted and wooden spring clothespins, according to a summary of the company’s history.In 1982, the plant employed between 110 and 130 people, operating under import quotas designed to help domestic companies remain more competitive. According to an Associated Press story at that time, Penley and other clothespin manufacturers in Maine reported output and productivity increased as a result of the quotas, and the industry spent $700,000 on modernization to meet the foreign competition.At the Penley Mill, then being run by Richard Penley, the third generation of his family to manage the business, the company made two years’ worth of capital improvements to keep up with demand. But, Penley told the AP, “If the quota system hadn’t been in place, we wouldn’t have the improved sales in 1980 and ’81, and we wouldn’t have been able to justify the expenditures.”Without the continuation of those quotas, he said, “whether we would survive in some fashion, we don’t know.”While operating in West Paris, the Penley family became known for its philanthropy in education and government.AdvertisementWhen the mill closed in 2002, unable to compete with foreign imports, it was the last wooden clothespin manufacturing company in the United States.From its opening to closing days, the mill was the largest employer in West Paris, manufacturing clothespins, producing pallet stock and operating as a log storage yard. When the mill closed, 39 of the company’s 54 employees were laid off; the remaining employees stayed on to work in the log yard and the mill’s importing and distribution center, filling orders for clothespins, matches, plastic flatware and straws.In the year before the mill closed, town officials had worked with Penley Corp. to reduce the tax burden on personal property, granting a break for depreciation on equipment, hoping it would help Penley sell the mill.In talks with selectmen, Penley said he was forced to close because foreign manufacture of clothespins was more economical due to lower labor costs, and orders for pallet material had dropped in recent years. Please be sure to Review All Photos and Item Specifics as all are an integral part of this item's description. Please ask all questions prior to bidding or purchasing as this item is "being sold as is" with no returns. Thank you for looking. Please be so kind as to check out my other items for sale as something else might be of interest to you! I list new items weekly, so please check back. All measurements provided are approximate. (Laid flat measurements should be multiplied by 2 for a full measurement of that area.) Please review all photographs prior to bidding as they are an integral part of the description of this item. Please also ask any and all questions prior to bidding as there are no returns on this item. FEEDBACK NOTICE: We sincerely appreciate each and every person who chooses to purchase from us. It is very important to our eBay status that we continually increase our Good Feedback Score. Many folks, however, are busy or seem to forget to leave us good feedback. We appreciate reciprocation, and, therefore, will no longer leave feedback for those buyers who do not leave feedback for us. As always, should there be any issue related to an item you've purchased from us, please contact us for a resolution prior to leaving derogatory feedback. Thank you so much for your understanding... Have a Wonderful Day! >>> This auction / sale is offered Only to USA bidders -- We Do Not Ship Outside the United States.>>> Shipping Fees are Quoted for Contiguous United States ONLY -- Additional Shipping Fees May be Required to Other States.>>> All Items will be shipped via the most economical method available. In addition, there will be times when we recycle/reuse packaging materials for shipping. > Depending Upon the Sold Price, Some Items May Be Shipped via FedEx with Signature Required <> All Ship to Addresses Must Be Paypal Verified <

Price: 68 USD

Location: Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania

End Time: 2024-02-16T22:42:31.000Z

Shipping Cost: 8.4 USD