Lorenzo Johnson's Invention Prototype

Date: [unknown] [unknown]
Location: New Jersey
Surname/tag: [[Space:Lorenzo Johnson's Invention Prototype|Lorenzo Johnson]]

My father gave this to me, explaining it was invented by my grandfather, Lorenzo. It was a prototype, marked "Patent Pending" on the bottom, although I don't know if he ever actually applied for a patent. It's made of cast iron. Apparently, it was invented because of shopkeepers' tendency to impale their hands on the typical receipt spindles of the day, which leads me to guess it was created when he was running Johnson's Lighthouse Bakery. I had the idea the bakery was in the Chicago area, but it was more likely in New Jersey in the later 1920's or early 1930's This knowledge came about because my father saw a school project created by someone in my class (maybe when I was in the third grade), a volcano, and he remarked that it looked more like the lighthouse that Lorenzo had in the shop window of Johnson's Lighthouse Bakery.

Louie Johnson June 4, 2013 (Johnson-18690)