Still Running

82 things with 4,583 years of service between them, counted to the day each story was posted. Every one was in use when its owner wrote about it.

No. 0098Odds and ends

c. 1910

Four-hole paper perforator

Thrown out with an office, punching paper daily A four-hole paper punch made by Ojop in Eskilstuna, Sweden, in the 1960s. Newer than the one in the story.

A four-hole paper punch made by Ojop in Eskilstuna, Sweden, in the 1960s. Newer than the one in the story.

Running about 110 years as of 2020

No. 0035Odds and ends

1948

Aerolux light bulb

A 1948 baby gift that draws 2 watts Six Aerolux flower bulbs, each lit by the glowing coating on a little metal figure inside. Not the one in the story.

Running 72 years as of 2020

No. 0082Odds and ends

1948

Royal Quiet De Luxe typewriter

A wizard's character sheet, typed on Grandpa's Royal A Royal Quiet De Luxe portable typewriter in its carrying case, in a museum. Not the one in the story.

A Royal Quiet De Luxe portable typewriter in its carrying case, in a museum. Not the one in the story.

Running 74 years as of 2022

No. 0034Odds and ends

1952

Lionel train set

Original boxes, original smoke pellets A postwar Lionel set with its original boxes, led by a 2026 steam engine of the late 1940s and early 1950s. Not the one in the story.

A postwar Lionel set with its original boxes, led by a 2026 steam engine of the late 1940s and early 1950s. Not the one in the story.

Running 67 years as of 2019

No. 0116Odds and ends

1963

York multistage M chiller

10,000 pounds of R-12, driven by a steam turbine A York centrifugal water-cooled chiller in a plant room. A newer model, not the one in the story.

Running 56 years as of 2019

No. 0081Odds and ends

1968

Hermes Rocket typewriter

Poems typed on the corner, pay what you like A 1959 Hermes Rocket portable typewriter next to its lid. Not the one in the story.

Running 56 years as of 2024

No. 0093Odds and ends

c. 1998

McDonald's Hercules plate

Twenty years of dinners off a Hercules plate

Running about 21 years as of 2019

Got something old that still works?

Tell us what it is, what year it's from, and one thing about it nobody would guess. A photo helps. A person reads every one before it goes on the wall.

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