NAT the National Products mascot was a mighty handsome fellow, made entirely of items produced by The National Screw & Mfg. Co., which was founded in Cleveland in the late 1880s, and featured this simple motto on its packaging in the 60s: “Headed and Threaded.”
This box full of stove bolts, found at a garage sale for 10¢, reminded Jane, Lucky FInd Gazette’s fact checker, of her grandfather’s basement hardware repository: a room with bulging limestone block walls painted in shiny dark green enamel. The light let in by two small windows up near the ceiling was dim due to dusty glass and ivy, but once the string to the overhead light bulb was pulled, one could see rows of shelves filled with old Dana Brown Safari coffee cans from the late 60s, which were decorated in a bold floral pattern. Dried-out masking tape and pencil identified the contents of each can: lug nuts, washers, 3/4 screws, cup hooks, butterfly toggles, etc.
Compulsive about ensuring that all information presented on these pages is completely accurate and truthful, Jane googled National Products and came up with the fun claim that they craft the highest quality disco balls 
in the world. “We use only real glass mirror squares and top quality form materials. All disco balls are handcrafted in the U.S.A. Most sizes are stocked for immediate shipment,” says their web site.
That didn’t sound like the right company. When she searched for “The National Screw & Mfg. Co.” she discovered that the name has now become Hodell-Natco, Industries, Inc. It’s worth checking www.hodell-natco.com out — not only to see the updated version of NAT, but also to read the names of all the companies they’ve acquired: Bonanza Nut & Bolt, Western Chain Co., etc.
Further delving revealed that the figure, left, recently sold at auction for $1,180, beating its estimate by $980!
Page Ten, Issue Five
Loose Screws
There’s a whole world of hardware to explore out there.
