Vintage Rawlplugs Household Outfit No. 8 Box with Original Fibre Wall Plugs 3/6

Absolutely lovely bit of social history — a proper old “shed drawer” survivor.

Vintage Rawlplugs Household Outfit No. 8 Box — Original Fibre Wall Plugs — c.1930s–1950s

A charming vintage Rawlplugs Household Outfit No. 8 box, priced originally at 3/6, containing a quantity of original fibre Rawlplugs in assorted sizes. The box is wonderfully graphic, with its green, black and red printed design, illustrations of the plugs and screw, and period advertising wording along the side.

This is the sort of small utilitarian object that tells a much bigger story: home repairs, post-war DIY, make-do-and-mend, and the rise of branded household hardware. The contents appear to be the earlier fibre-style wall plugs, the type used before modern plastic rawlplugs became standard. These were inserted into drilled masonry and expanded as the screw was driven in, providing a grip in brick, plaster or stone.

Maker History

The Rawlplug takes its name from John Joseph Rawlings, a British engineer credited with inventing the wall plug in the early 20th century. The Rawlplug name was trademarked in the 1910s, and Rawlplug Ltd became an important British manufacturer of fixings and fastening products. The company developed from the original fibre plug into a major name in wall fixings, anchors and related tools. Rawlplug remains one of those rare brand names that became a generic everyday term — much like Hoover or Sellotape — with many people still calling any wall plug a “rawlplug”.

Rawlplug marks its commercial development from 1919, and the company still trades today as a global fastening and fixings brand.

18 cm wide

4 cm tall

7 cm depth

Condition

In authentic vintage condition with age-related wear throughout. The cardboard box shows rubbing, scuffs, surface losses, edge wear and some tears, particularly around the opening flap and corners. The graphics remain strong and attractive. The contents are present in quantity, though not guaranteed complete to the original outfit. Sold as a collectable vintage hardware item rather than for practical use.

Vintage Rawlplugs Household Outfit No. 8 Box with Original Fibre Wall Plugs – 3/6 DIY Hardware Collectable