Reinforcing The Past

Sometimes the less interesting collectibles come with the most interesting histories

Butterfly Originals had the license to manufacture Star Wars school and office supplies in the mid-1980s. Most of their products, now considered to be in the "vintage" category of collectibles, don't command a very high value and are not difficult to locate for collectors wanting to complete a set.

One of the less sought after pieces is a 48-pack of Looseleaf Foil Reinforcements. These stickers were meant to be placed around the punched holes in paper so it wouldn't accidently tear out of a binder, while providing a decorative Star Wars presence.

Butterfly Originals also provided products for capsule-based vending machines. Above is a product header for a 25 cent machine. You may notice that the page protector sheet on the header is identical to one of the sheets in the 48-pack. This might lead collectors to believe that along with the pencil toppers, the machine dispensed foil reinforments that are made from cut-apart sheets. But that premise would be wrong. Very wrong.
A popular belief of Butterfly Originals and the vending idustry was that Butterfly Originals sold off old inventory to bulk packagers and vending companies in order to recoup some profit. This may have some validity, but isn't sound as a thesis.

If we examine the stickers that actually came out of the machine we discover that the Foil Looseleaf Protectors aren't just cut-apart standard sheets, and aren't even manufactured using the same dies or ink process!

Each individual sticker has a trademark under it's name, so we know a different plate was used to print this series. A different ink treatment scheme was used as well. The Darth Vader single wasn't colored as it was in the 48-pack. Han Solo's single also is missing the white shirt of his multi-pack counterpart. There is more evidence of the use of a different die then just the fact that the reinforcements are on separate squares. The cut around each image to peel it off the backing is different on the singles, and even the punch hole is located elsewhere on the sticker in most cases.

First I wonder, who in the world has kept a set of stickers from a vending machine for 20 years?? Then I am thankful that they have found their way into my collection. The glimpse they offer into the history of the collectible is a reminder of how every collectible, no matter how common or desireable, has some kind of story or history behind it.