Sunday, October 10, 2010

The Thomson-Diggs Catalog

     Besides people who know me and are (im)patiently waiting for some actual modeling to get done, the number one traffic driver to this site is my entry on the Thomson-Diggs Hardware Company. It's not buckets of people, but as a chunk of my blog's meager traffic it is significant.
     So I have to share a recent eBay purchase.

     I mentioned the Thomson-Diggs Company catalogs in my previous post. But I couldn't show you my pictures of them - not without paying a use fee to the Center for Sacramento History.
     I understand the need for the fee; I really do. It costs money to keep the Center going. Humidity controlled facilities, paid archival specialists and everything else that makes the Center the amazing resource that it is, isn't exactly cheap to maintain. The more budget neutral or, even better, the more money it makes for the city, the more likely the Center won't be cut out of existence. But it doesn't make much sense for me to pay a fee to post a picture for a site that gets limited traffic. So I gladly live within the rules.

     Which gets me to my purchase. I am the proud owner of a 1961 (probably) Thomson-Diggs Catalog. First thing that struck me is that T-D had a big plant in Fresno. I didn't know that. The second: 1960s kid's play structures were death traps.


The cover: fabric covered cardboard
 and 100% of your day's vitamin C allowance.
Pictures of the Sacramento and Fresno plants.
Seriously, twelve kids??? 

5 comments:

  1. Yes... it will hold One Dozen 'Grade A' skinny, rangy, 1950's size American kids. Or about 3 'Grade Z' 'New Millenium' kids.

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  2. Are you interested in some old Thomson-Diggs Catologs, I have some very old ones and also the last as the company closed.
    If you are a Facebook member look me up and message me; Jay Myers from Citrus Heights

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  3. In cleaning out our attic I came across a Thomson-Diggs Catalog, #31, as you described. It is in excellent shape. I found your blog and found it interesting about the history of the company, of which we knew nothing. Thanks for the information. Sue Ritz, Janesville, CA

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  4. I have a T-D catalog that looks like the latest update was 1936. I'm thinking of scanning it sometime in 2016. Love to see one older.

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  5. I've seen a 1920's era version of the catalog at the Center for Sacramento History. And occasionally one that old goes up for bid at eBay.

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