Start the presses… for the 146th year in a row, the Hammacher Schlemmer print catalog is once again making its way to our customers. Our new Winter 2026 edition starts with The Floating Pickleball Court on the cover and continues the parade of the Best, the Unique, and the Unexpected from there.
We hope longtime fans will welcome the new edition like an old friend. All the familiar elements are there: the outsized fantasy gifts, the useful little doodads, our witty voice (if I do say so myself, ahem). But if you’ve been Rip van Winkling since 1985, or 1955, or 1905 and suddenly woke to the sound of our catalog dropping in your mailbox, you’re in for some surprises. Walk with us now through the distinct ages and stages of our catalog’s evolution across the last century-and-a-half.
Hardcover Hardware: 1881-1920s
Our first catalogs were hardbound behemoths, hand-delivered by salesmen on their rounds. They typically numbered 300-plus pages of bolts, hinges, and more locks than the Panama Canal, illustrated with detailed stipple drawings. Hammacher’s exhaustive hardware catalog was adopted by the US Navy in 1905 as an official procurement manual. These handsome volumes were apparently prone to customers tearing out pages and mailing them in, judging by the warning inside many of them: “We ask our friends NOT TO MUTILATE THIS CATALOGUE by tearing out pages. A reference to page number and number and description of goods will always enable us to trace any item without difficulty.” We don’t doubt it.
Flip through one: Builders Hardware Catalogue No. 146, Hammacher Schlemmer & Co., 1900
House of Gifts: 1930s-1940s
As our inventory shifted to cater more to the carriage trade, so too did our catalog. Out with workbenches and drill bits; in with waffle irons and monogrammed poker chips. The now-paperback catalog took on squarish proportions with vibrant color artwork on the covers. Inside, the inventory was shown in photos for the first time, although drawings continued to be used occasionally. The first pop-up toaster, electric razor, and steam iron established our innovative bonafides, pointing the way toward our future…
Flip through one: Hammacher Schlemmer Gifts, 1947
Irreverence, Indulgence, and Invento: 1950s-1970s
When stockboy-turned-salesman Dominic Tampone ascended to the presidency of Hammacher Schlemmer in 1959, he brought big ideas and an impish sense of mischief with him. On his watch, we began to develop our own signature innovations, particularly through our Invento arm. Tampone’s dictum: “If it’s not electrical, make it electrical; if it is electrical, get rid of the cord.” For the first time, humor became a keystone of the brand, with such absurd products as the Nothing Box, a metal box with randomly blinking lights. “It’s for the man who wants nothing and is ready to pay a good, stiff price for it,” Tampone told the New Yorker. His hybrid of practicality and prankishness worked, making us fans everywhere from the White House to Buckingham Palace to a little band from Liverpool.
Flip through one: Hammacher Schlemmer Summer 1965 Catalog
Big Time: 1980s-2020s
From there, we had nowhere to go but bigger. The aspirational, acquisitive 1980s called for dazzling tech, sleek design, and a flotilla of ludicrous, mostly aquatic vehicles. This was the age of the $2 million submarine, the $40,000 pedal pub, and the $200,000 Batmobile, among other conversation-starting classics - but also the first flatscreen TV, the first answering machine with caller ID, and the first CD recorder. Here emerged the Hammacher Schlemmer of late-night legend and sitcom wisecracks, setting the stage for today.
Flip through one: Hammacher Schlemmer 1987 Spring Supplement
Refreshed and Ready: 2026
Like the new logo that adorns it, we think this latest catalog synthesizes everything fun about our past (well, almost: there are no stipple drawings of hinges) while living firmly in the here and now. The cover product even floats! We’re using QR codes for the first time, and we’ve included some articles about our checkered past which will be familiar to Gnomenclature readers. We’d be lying if we said we didn’t feel some trepidation about continuing a legacy so long and rich. But we’re allowing ourselves the occasional sigh of relieved self-congratulation at the finished product.
Flip through it: Hammacher Schlemmer Winter 2026 Catalog
How can I get one?
If we haven’t shown up in your mailbox this go-round, make sure you’re signed up to get future editions (click “Get future catalogs in the mail” on our homepage). We’re also including them in most Hammacher Schlemmer orders at the moment. For Gnomenclature readers who really, really want to add this one to your collection, email me your mailing address and I’ll see what I can do. Happy reading!