F. P. Rosback Pony 28" Pinhole Perforator - Benton Harbor, Michigan
Age: 1942, Serial No. 42-P-2609, Size: 28-inch wide
Born in Germany in 1846, Fredrick Peter Rosback came to America with his parents at the age of 5, and settled in Springfield, Il. Rosback returned from having served with the Union army in the Civil War, got married, and moved to Springfield, MO. He got a job as a machinist in a railroad company, and later worked for McCormick Harvester Co.
During his time at Harvester, Rosback, a brilliant machinist, invented and patented a device to automate the bundling of grain after harvest - a patent that was then purchased by McCormick Harvester for a tidy sum of $2,000. With that money, in 1881, F. P. Rosback started his own business inventing, manufacturing and marketing his own machines in Chicago. In 1905, Rosback moved to Benton Harbor, MI, and in 1980, it relocated to a 124,000 sq. ft. facility in St. Joseph, MI. Today, after 137 years of continued success, the Rosback Company still remains a true family business and currently is being run and managed by the descendents of F. P. Rosback.
According to The History of Rosback, while in Benton Harbor, F. P. Rosback developed the process of rotary round hole perforation which became very popular, and at the time of his death in 1927, he could say that every check or postage stamp in the world was perforated on Rosback equipment. The F. P. Rosback Company was also patriotically involved in America's war efforts during both World Wars - making grenades in WW I, and parts for anti-aircraft guns and fighter planes during the WW II.
Our Rosback Pony Round Hole Perforator was built in 1942, Serial No. 42P-2609, supplied with five pairs of striker heads. It was originally sold to Sandy & Company, of Philadelphia, PA. Sandy & Company was founded by Mrs. Sarah Sandy in 1877, providing finishing services to local printers which included numbering, punching, perforating, etc. for bonds, checks, steamship and railroad tickets, and various other kinds of work.
HIW Printing Museum acquired the Rosback Perforator through the generous donation from Hagendorf Sandy Co., Inc.
