Haff Game Counter, U.S. Patent Office Model
date: label: date made
content: 1881
name: label: patentee
content: Haff, Le Roy B.
label: maker
content: Haff, Le Roy B.
notes: label: Description
content: This small and incomplete model from the U.S. Patent Office well illustrates the technology used to store information about patent models. Attached to the knob by red tape are two labels. The smaller tag records the entry of the model into the office on March 17, 1881. It indicates in pen the name of the inventor, Leroy B. Haff, the type of the invention (a game counter) and the date received. The front of the tag also is marked in pencil “issued.” The back of this tag also has the pen marks S 28482, 23 Div, and 84/1044.
label: Description
content: A second tag, attached to the model by the same piece of red tape, is the patent tag. It has what appears to be a form number, as well as space for the patent number (242635), the patentee (here spelled Le Roy B. Haff), the subject of the patent (Game-Counter), and the date patented (June 7, 1881). Glued to the back of the tag is a printed summary of the drawing and claims. This is heavily damaged.
label: Description
content: Haff’s invention was a small counter that recorded both points scored in a card game such as whist and the number of games won. Only the upper part of the model has survived.
label: Description
content: The inventor, Leroy (or Le Roy) B. Haff of Englewood, N.J., was no doubt the silversmith Leroy B. Haff (1841-1893) who lived in Engelwood and was a partner in the New York firm of silversmiths, Dominick & Haff. He also took out a patent for a corkscrew in 1889.
label: Description
content: References:
label: Description
content: Le Roy B. Haff, “Game-Counter,” U. S. Patent 242,635, June 7, 1881.
label: Description
content: Le Roy B. Haff, “Pocket-Corkscrew,” U S. Patent 356936, February 1, 1887.
label: Description
content: U. S. Census, 1880.
label: Description
content: “The Death of Leroy B. Haff,” <I>The Jeweler’s Circular and Horological Review</I>, vol. 22, #9, September 27, 1893, p. 13.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United States: New Jersey, Englewood
label: place patented
content: United States: New Jersey, Englewood
topic: label: Subject
content: Games
label: Subject
content: Mathematics
setName: label: See more items in
content: Medicine and Science: Mathematics
label: See more items in
content: Counters
label: See more items in
content: Science & Mathematics
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 1987.0107.02
label: accession number
content: 1987.0107
label: catalog number
content: 1987.0107.02
objectType: label: Object Name
content: game counter
label: Object Type
content: Patent Model
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: metal (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: paper (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 1.4 cm x 3 cm x 3 cm; 9/16 in x 1 3/16 in x 1 3/16 in