Guest Post – My cheapest organiser purchase - by Gmax

Thank you to Max for this guest post. 

I’d promised to write about this, which I’d mentioned in response to a Tell Us About post last year. The topic was a cheap organiser purchase that didn’t disappoint…

For me has to be this 2019 eBay lot of six simple binders, which cost £8 including postage.

  

Three were Norman & Hill models from the late 70s, two were Filofax ones from the early 80s, and the last was unbranded, probably from the same era.

#1 Norman & Hill E202 7/8”

Model E202 was a stiff, canvas covered binder with no pockets. This one is a light grey colour. It’s obviously seen some use. I keep sheets to record credit card purchases (Form 609) in it.

#2 & 3 Norman & Hill 715 7/8”

715 was a vinyl binder with two pockets. It’s not listed in the January 1979 catalogue, but I believe it came out later that year. Both of these examples are brown.

#4 Filofax 2V 7/8” Textured

I reckon this brown 2V binder dates from 1980/81 – it follows the lines of the previous Norman & Hill 715 model designation, with the same textured vinyl.

#5 Filofax 2V 7/8” Smooth

Quite soon after Filofax’s change of ownership in 1980 the 2V model must have changed to use a smooth finish of vinyl. This style then persisted until the ribbed VR models came out in the middle of the decade.

#6 Unbranded

The last of the set is black and has slightly smaller rings. The way these are attached to the cover looks different, as do the pockets. I don’t think this can have been made by Filofax.

Filofax don’t really offer binders like these today, which is a shame. They are handy for storing new and used leaves, both of which I have quite a lot of!