Can You Help With An Unusual Hinge Question?

Apparently my customers think I know a lot more than I do, but I guess that's a good thing. I received the flowing note from a customer and he included a glassine containing some used hinges. I guess they are old Dennison hinges but can anyone confirm?





Thanks,

Ken

Either Dennison or Fold-O-Hinge. They are slightly green, right? Hard to tell against the black background.

They're hard to see against a white background but I don't see much green.

If they are Dennison, they are an older type. As I recall, the last several years of Dennison output were hinges folded asymmetrically with one end much shorter (stamp side) than the other (album side).

Believe the Fold-O-Hinge brand had various owners/manufacturers over the years.

IIRC at least one of the FOH makers employed a stock with a slightly green tint.

Further, my recollection of FOH design is that it was asymmetrical . And I don't recall FOH hinges having rounded corners.

By contrast, believe Dennison stock (at least at some point) featured a symmetrical fold.

Older Dennison hinges had rounded corners and a green tint. You had to make your own folds. Each package also had some cardboard pieces in the same shape, but no adhesive. I still have a few of those cardboard pieces that I saved. That's what I used when I got started in the early 1960s.

I don't believe I have ever seen prefolded Dennison hinges that were symmetrical. With regard to the original post, I would tell the client that, regardless of what these hinge samples are, genuine Dennison (with an O, not an E) hinges deliver the qualities asked for.

...and to be prepared for some serious 'sticker shock' when he looks for some to buy.

I've never seen symmetrically folded Dennison hinges either. I don't know what those things are. They don't look green either.

Jack Kelley

We need these hinges.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1-UNOPENED...AOSwuIRc8vFt

I have a package of Fold-O-Hinge by the Harold Cohn & Co. Chicago ILL. 1955.
Package says "Folded" and "Peelable". They have a slight green tint, but the edges are squared not rounded. And unlike the picture by the op where the hinges are folded in half, Fold-O-Hinges are quarter folded... not folded in half.

I have some of that kind in an old album from the 50s, they certainly peel off nicely. But no idea what brand.

Randy,

It's amazing that there are so many unopened Dennison's still available on the market. Pricey, but available.

Jack Kelley

Like Climber Steve says, there were early Dennison's that came unfolded and you had to fold them yourself. That guy decided to fold them in half when he used them

Here is a package of old Dennison (25 cents)hinges unfolded, rounded corners and slightly green in color.

I've feel like I've become almost a hinge expert over the last couple of years since I still use hinges and to find out which are good and which aren't, I did various tests on every brand of hinge I could buy, both older and new.

Dennison did sell green-tinted hinges with rounded corners that looked just like those. They held well and peeled easily, as we know. Fold-O Hinges were never sold with round corners -- or at least I've never seen any like that.

Of course these could also be some mystery brand, but I highly doubt it. Dennison was one of the major hinge brands for years, and most collectors would have encountered them. Other hinge brands, even Fold-O, were less common. Meaning that if someone comes across older mystery hinges, they're likely to be one of the more common brands. I'd say they're most likely Dennison hinges.

But I'm not sure about the crease in the middle of each hinge. I've never seen that before. Done by the owner or by the manufacturer?