A rare find…number tacks
Back when everyone had wooden storm windows that had to be taken off and replaced each season, you could find nifty numbered tacks at any local hardware store. They were used to match up the wood storms with the window jambs that they were fitted to. Now, they are nearly impossible to find or, if you do find them, each tack has a separate number which have to be combined to make double digit numbers.
And then, I was digging around in our stash of stuff that was left in the house for some extra window hardware.
Voila! I hit the motherload of numbered tacks.
Only an old house geek would have let out a shriek of joy. Which is what I did while doing a little jig in my work clogs.
Proof positive that I am very, very much an old house geek.
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Comments
Rare indeed! Can you hear me shrieking? - just to see them.
Posted by: Marty | July 25, 2007 10:19 PM
So.freaking.cool. I was just looking at the number tacks (I had no idea that's what they were called) on our storms the other day wondering if they were still available anywhere. I'm jealous!
Posted by: shawn | July 26, 2007 12:27 AM
Shawn:
Check ebay. Prairie Rose House was looking for some numbered tacks a while back and I found a seller on eBay who had a bunch of them. They weren't that expensive, really. Supply is the main issue, of course.
Considering the demand for them, I wish I had found a bunch of them in MY house! LOL!
Posted by: Larry | July 26, 2007 7:47 AM
OMG. I love them! I'd probably use them for crafts/collages rather than their original purpose ;)
Posted by: mindy | July 26, 2007 8:54 AM
I always wondered how they knew what storm window went where. Now I know!
Posted by: Sandy | July 26, 2007 9:17 AM
Very cool find! Unless I had 100's of them, I too would have a hard time not wanting to "save" these for something else. I still have all but two of the original wooden storms/screens for my home, but these are marked with roman numeral indentations. Of course this means once a week I get someone at my door trying to sell me replacement windows, and stares of disbelief that I actually LIKE them; the older the salesperson, the more dumbfounded the face.
Posted by: ejk | July 26, 2007 9:42 AM
OMG. I have a bunch of those in my "craft stuff." I don't know where I got them and until now didn't know what they were for. Cool!
Posted by: VespaMary | July 28, 2007 9:51 AM
Those tacks are awesome! I wish we'd had some before we replaced our windows with updated versions. We used to write a few words with a Sharpie to tell us where the storm windows/screen belonged.
Posted by: Daisy | July 28, 2007 10:28 PM
I was stripping and repainting some of our old wooden storm windows over the weekend. I'm grateful that nearly all of our windows still have their numbers.
When we first moved into the house, I'd never worked with the old-fashioned wood-framed storms before. It took me a while to notice the numbers, after I'd already spent some time climbing up and down on the ladder with the wrong ones. Live and learn. ;)
Posted by: Anne | July 30, 2007 12:31 PM
It's amazing how these little finds make us happy, isn't it? I agree. They would be useful for storms OR fun for crafts.
Posted by: jm | July 31, 2007 8:31 AM
Cool! I buy these whenever I see them at estate sales.
Posted by: Marilyn | August 2, 2007 12:15 AM
I just happen to have some of the tacks if anyone is interested. email me for more info.
Posted by: Tullula | October 6, 2007 10:53 PM