Calendox Major Bakelite Punch Magazine Desk Calendar

What's for sale?

This is a large, promotional, desktop perpetual calendar, made during the 1930s by Calendox Ltd. of London. The Major is one of the largest of the Calendox range of desktop calendars.

On the front is embossed the name "Punch", referring to the weekly satirical magazine, launched in 1841 by Henry Mayhew. It was through Punch that the term "cartoon" gained its modern meaning.

Setting the date is achieved by the turning the knob on the front, so that the current day is circled and the previous days appear struck though.

Normally, a similar knob on the back would be used to change the month, but this is missing and instead the back has to be removed before changing the month manually. The back is easily removed by sliding a metal tag out of the way.

Matching the day of the week to the current year's calendar also requires manual intervention. Open the back and inside are paper templates which you use to align the date with the correct the day of the week.

Bakelite is a type of phenolic resin and has become a generic term for items made of the early plastics, like Lucite, Catalin, Galalith and Bakelite. This hasn't been tested to determine which it is.

Who made it and when?

It was made in England during the 1930s. The company Calendox Limited was connected with Charles Letts for some time, but there's no reference to them on this piece. Embossed on the back is:

• THE "CALENDOX" CALENDAR
• MAJOR
• MADE IN LONDON
• PAT. 348038

And:

• MAKERS
• CALENDOX LTD.
• 91, PETTY FRANCE
• WESTMINSTER

What condition is it in?

• Second-hand
• In fair to good condition
• The polished metal bezel is clean with faint scratches
• The metal tag and rivets on the back have rust on them
• The stand is attached and working
• The date knob is stiff, but fully operational
• The month knob is missing and the month must be selected manually
• The paper templates are yellowed and have been written on

What are the measurements?

• 12cm high (4.75 inches)
• 13cm wide (just over 5 inches)
• 5cm deep (2 inches)
• 149 grams

If you have any questions, just send an email to help@3bcshop.com.